~53
Alabama
Montgomery. Dey ‘lected Mista Jeff Davis president an‘ done busted de Nunited States wide open.

	‘Atter dat dar warn‘ t much happen on de plantation I ~ ‚ t g~IIgB Of‘ 6~Pj er ~ pas ‘ t~‘ ough swine off to de war • Den ‚ bout ebry so often a squad o~ Oontederate so~jers would come to de neighborhood gatherin‘ up rations for Gin‘ rai Lee‘ e army dey eay• Dat make it pu.rty hard on bofe whites an‘ blacks, takin‘ off some of de bee‘ stock an‘ runnin‘ us low on grub.

	“But we wuk right on~twel1 one d&y somebody sen‘ a runner eayi& de Yankee s comm ‚ • 01e mi eU. s tell me to hurry ober to Mrs. Freeman‘s an‘ tell ‘emWilson‘s Yankee raiders waS on de way an‘ comm1 lait a harrikin. I hop on a mule an‘ go jes‘ as f1ae‘ as I can make him trabel, but befo‘ I git back dey done retch de plantation, smashin‘ things comm1 an‘ gwine.

	“Dey broke in de smoke house an‘ tuk ~ui de haine an‘ yuther rations dey fin‘ what dey want an‘ burn up de res‘ • Den dey ramshack de big house lookin‘ fo‘ money an‘ jewelry an‘ raise Cain wid de wiminin folks ‚ caze dey didn‘ t fin‘ what dey wanted. Den dey leave dere oie hoeses an‘ mules an‘ take de bee‘ we got. Atter dey done dat, dey burn de smoke house, de ba~rns; de cribs ad‘ some yuther prop‘ ty . Den dey skedaddi e some piace ei se.

	UI warn‘t up dar but I heern tell dey burn up piles an‘ piles of cotton an‘ lote of steamboats at Montgomery an‘ lef‘ de oie town jes‘ ‘bout ruint‘ • Twarn‘ t long atter dat dey tel]. us ‘ se free. But lawdy, Cap‘n, we ain‘t rieber been wnat I calls free. ‘Ccee oie Inarster didn‘ own us no mo‘ ‚ an‘ all de folks soon scatter ai]. ober, but iffen dey all lak me dey still hatter wuk jes‘ as hard, an some times hab lese dan we useter hab when we stay on Marse John‘ s piantation.
‘Weil, Cap‘ n, dat‘ e ‚ bout all I know. I feel dat misery commt