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bein‘ built. I wuz 1.ivin‘ In Dickson County w‘en Fort Dorielson Wuz tuk. I seed de fust gun boat dat kum up de Ci~mberland River. I wuz. standin‘ ~ in de DO‘ er w‘ en I se‘ d hit kumin‘ ‚ but hit didn‘ t tek me long ter gib back in de back ob de house. I wuz skeered dey would shoot.

	Mah marster run a fer‘y en atter de gun boat kuni up de riber, he got skeered en gib rnah oie man de fer‘y, en w‘en de soldiers kum ter tek FortNe~1ey he set dein ‘cross de river.

~	A man at Ashland City dat made whisk‘y would hab Mr.Sirnpkins bring a load ob logs up ter Ashland City en den bring a load ob whiskey down en hide hit so de Yankees: would‘nt git hit.

	Mah marster had a fish trap at de mouth ob Harper en w‘ ~ de gun boat passed dey shot thro‘ de trap. ~ ~

I wuz right ‘yer w‘en de Civil wah wuz gwin on, en de~soldiers wuz dressed up en beatin‘ de dimma. -. ~ O ~ : : ~ •

	~	~ . No hc$~ey,we didn‘.t gît nothin‘ wt en we wuz freéd. 3es druv

	-	‘w~‘widout nothiri‘. ter do wld. We got in awaggin~endruv ter ~ nuther m&xi‘ s plantàshun . Mah ole man made a crap dere. • Sum ob ~ de slaves might hab got sump‘in but 1 dunno nobody dat did. I• wuz skeered ter op‘ n ~h ~0t er atter dark on ‚ count ob Ku Klu.x Klan, ~: dey wuz red hot.

.	I mernbèr w‘ en de sta‘ rs fell. I wuz small but de oie folks run
o~
out en lolted at dem, ki~m back set down en cried, dey th~op hit
A

m&‘nt de won‘ • wuz kuinin‘ ter an end.

De peepie wuz skeered w‘enidel se‘d de comet wid de long tall. DeytA1t h~t wuz a sign ob wab.

I‘se cooked eve‘y since I wu~ freed. I stayed in Henry Calbies kitchen five long y‘ars, en since I‘se had dese strokes hit‘s broke ~ ‘ti:i:i I kin do riothin‘. I ‘long ter de Methodist Church. I