“All endurin of de war times, Marse Tom he neber raised no cotton er tall but instid he raised de wheat, en de corn en hogs fer de Confedrits, en de baggage waggins wud cum from time ter time fer de loads of flour, en meal en meat dat he wud sen ter de army.  De Yankees sumhow dey missed us place en neber did fin hit, en do de damage er bruning [TR:  burning?] en sich dat I is heard dat dey done in places in other parts of de state.  We all heard one time dat de Yankees wuz close er roun en wuz on de way ter burn Marse Tom’s mill but dey got on de wrong road en day neber did git ter our place, en us sho wuz proud er dat too.  Yit en still attar de war ober, Marse Tom, he had bout four hundred bales er cotton on han at de barn en de Yankee govment dey sho tuk dat en didn’t pay him er bit fer dat cotton.  I knows dat ter be er fac.

“I members de war rail well, kase ye see, I wuz bout twelve year old when hit ober.  En de last two er three years of de trubble I wuz big enuf ter be doin sum wuk, so dey tuk me in de big house fer ter be er waitin boy round de house, en I slept in dar too on er pallit on de floor, en er lot er times de Calvary sojers wud stop at Marse Tom’s en spen de nite, en I wud be layin on de pallit but wudn’t be sleep, en I cud hear dem talkin ter Marse Tom, en Marster he wud ax dem how de fite cumin on, en iffen dey whippin de Yankees, en de Calvary sojers dey say dat dey whippin de Yankees ebery day en killin em out, en Marse Tom he sey “Yo is jes er big lie, how cum yo runnin er way iffen yo whippin dem Yankees?  Dem Yankees is atter yo, en yo is runnin frum em dats whut yo doin.  Yo know yo aint whippin no Yankees kase if yo wuz yo wud be atter dem rite now stid dem atter yo”.  No Sir, dem Calvary sojers cudn’t fool Marse Tom.

“Yes sir, I tell yo, Capn, de slabes dey fared well wid Marse Tom Davis, en dere wudn’t neber ben no war ober de slabery question iffen every body ben lak Marse Tom.  All his peoples wuz satisfied en dey didn’t eben know what de Yankees en de Southern white folks wuz fitin er bout, kase dey wuzn’t worried bout no freedom, yit en still atter de freedom cum dey wuz glad ter git hit, but atter dey git hit dey don’t know whut ter do wid hit.  En atter de bondage lifted, Marse Tom he called em all up en tell em dat dey free es he is, en dey kin lebe if dey want to, but dere wuzn’t nairy nigger lef de place.  Dey ebery one stayed, en I spect dat er lot of dem Davis niggers is rite dere till yit on dat same lan wid whoever hit belongs to.

“When er slabe man en woman got married in dose days dere wuzn’t no sich thing as er license fer dem.  All dey hed ter do wuz ter git de permit frum de Marster en den ter start in ter libbin wid each udder.  Atter de freedom do, all er dem whut wuz married en libbin wid one er nudder wuz giben er slip ter sho dat dey married, en ter mek dey marriage legal.