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	241~Jim Allen, Clay Co. 8
	FEC
Mrs. Ed Joiner





	“Yeesum I knows all ‘bout when Yankees come. Dey got us out ‘er de swamp. I was layin‘ down by a white oajc tree ‘sleep, an‘ when I woke up an‘ looked up an‘ saw nothin‘ but blue, blue, I said,
	‘Yonder is my Boss ‘s fine male	s, Alfred. He ‘tended dat horse

hisself.‘ He took it to heart, an‘ he didn‘ live long afte‘de Blue Coats took Alfred.

	“Peace was declared to us lust in January in Alabwny, but not in MiSi‘sippi ‘til Grant come back, May 8th.

	“I ain‘t seen ky boss eince dem Yankees took me ‘way. I wa8.seven milee down in de swamp when I wae tuk. I wouldn‘ of tol‘ him goodbye. I jes wouldn‘ of leI‘ him. No sir, I couidri‘ have lef‘ my good boss. Kö toi‘ ~ dem Yankees was comin‘ to take me off. I never wanted to aee him ‘cause I would have went back ‘cause he

pertected rae an‘ loved ue.

	*Like dis week, I lef‘ de crowd. One day, Cap‘in Bob

McDaniel came by, an‘ asked me if I wanted to mek fires en‘ vuk ‘round de house. I said, tied like to see de town whar you want me to go, an‘ den I come to West Point. It wa‘nt nothin‘ but cotton r»s ~ lot of old ehabby shanties, with jea one brick sto‘, an‘ it b‘longed to Ben Robertson, an‘ I hope (1) build all de sto‘~a in West
(1) helped