airs so she couldn't get away, then they came to
the sheds and we begged and begged for her. Then they loosed her, but
they took some of us for refugees and some of the slaves went off with
them of their own will. They took all the things that were buried all
the hams and everything they wanted. But they did not burn the house and
our missus was saved.

31. Did you know any Negroes who enlisted or joined the northern army?
Yes.

32. Did you know any Negroes who enlisted in the southern army?

Yes.

33. Did your master join the confederacy? What do you remember of his
return from the war? Or was he wounded and killed?

Yes. Two boys went. One was killed and one came back.

34. Did you live in Savannah when Sherman and the Northern forces
marched through the state, and do you remember the excitement in your
town or around the plantation where you lived?

We lived north of Savannah. I don't know how far it was, but it was in
South Carolina.

35. Did your master's house get robbed or burned during the time of
Sherman's march?

We were robbed, but the house was not burned. We saved it for them.

36. What kind of uniforms did they wear during the civil war?

Blue and gray

37. What sort of medicine was used in the days just after the war?
Describe a Negro doctor of that period.

She used to make tea out of the Devil's Shoe String that grew along on
the ground. We used oil and turpentine. Put turpentine on sores.

38. What do you remember about northern people or outside people moving
into the community after the war?

Yes. Mrs. Dermont, she taught white folks. I didn't go to school.

39. How did your family's life compare after Emancipation with it
before?

I had it better and so did the rest.

40. Do you know anything about political meetings and clubs formed after
the war?

You had to have a ticket to go to church or the paddle rollers.

41. Do you know anything regarding the letters and stories from Negroes
who migrated north after the war?

No.

42. Were there any Negroes of your acquaintance who were skilled
[TR: illegible] particular line of work?

Yes. In making shoes and furniture, they had to do most everything well
or get paddled.

FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT
American Guide, (Negro Writers' Unit)

Alfred Farrell, Field Worker
Monticello, Florida
January 12, 1937

MATILDA BROOKS

A GOVERNOR'S SLAVES

Matilda Brooks, 79, who lives in Monticello, Fla., was once a slave of a