The paper money in circulation was called “shin plasters.”  Claude’s uncle, Mark Clark joined the Northern Army.  His master did not go to war but remained on the plantation.  One day at noon during the war the gin house was seen to be afire, one of the slaves rushed in and found the master badly burned and writhing in pain.  He was taken from the building and given first aid, but his body being burned in oil and so badly burned it burst open, thus ended the life of the kindly master of Claude.

The soldiers of the southern Army wore gray uniforms with gray caps and the soldiers of the Northern Army wore blue.

After the war such medicines as castor oil, rhubarb, colomel and blue mass and salts were generally used.  The Civil War raged for some tine and the slaves on Dexter’s plantation prayed for victory of the Northern Army, though they dared not show their anxiety to Mary Ann Dexter who was master and mistress since the master’s death.  Claude and his family remained with the Dexters until peace was declared.  Mrs. Dexter informed the slaves thay they could stay with her if they so desired and that she would furnish everything to cultivate the crops and that she would give them half of what was raised.  None of the slaves remained but all were anxious to see what freedom was like.

Claude recalls that a six-mule team drove up to the house driven by a colored Union soldier.  He helped move the household furniture from their cabin into the wagon.  The family then got in, some in the seat with the driver, and others in back of the wagon with the furniture.  When the driver pulled off he said to Claude’s mother who was sitting on the seat with him, “Doan you know you is free now?” “Yeh Sir,” she answered, “I been praying for dis a long time.”  “Come on den les go,” he answered, and drove off.  They passed through Olustee, then Sanderson, Macclenny and finally Baldwin.  It was raining and they were about 20 miles from their destination, Jacksonville, but they drove on.  They reached Jacksonville and were taken to a house that stood on Liberty street, near Adams.  White people had been living there but had left before the Northern advance.  There they unloaded and were told that this would be their new home.  The town was full of colored soldiers all armed with muskets.  Horns and drums could be heard beating and blowing every morning and evening.  The colored soldiers appeared to rule the town.  More slaves were brought in and there they were given food by the Government which consisted of hard tack (bread reddish in appearance and extremely hard which had to be soaked in water before eating.) The meat was known as “salt horse.”  This looked and tasted somewhat like corned beef.  After being in Jacksonville a short while Claude began to peddle ginger bread and apples in a little basket, selling most of his wares to the colored soldiers.

His father got employment with a railroad company in Jacksonville, known as the Florida Central Railway and received 99c a day, which was considered very good pay.  His mother got a job with a family as house woman at a salary of eight dollars a month.  They were thus considered getting along fine.  They remained in the house where the Government placed them for about a year, then his father bought a piece of land in town and built a house of straight boards.  There they resided until his death.