skew wuz a slave speculator. He didn't do nothin' but buy up slaves
and sell 'em. He carried de ones he bought at our house to Texas. He
bought my half-sister and carried her to Texas. Atter de surrender I
saw her in Texas once, never no more.

"When de war begin dey carried young marster off. His name wuz William
Rogers, an' dey sent me to wait on 'im. I wuz in camp wid 'im up here
by de old Fair Grounds. Atter we got there I seed old Colonel Farrabow,
he wuz Colonel o' dat regiment. We all lef' Raleigh on wagons, an' I
don't know whur we went atter we lef' Raleigh; I wuz las'. We got on de
train at Fayetteville, whur dey kept de rations. We went to a place
whur dere wuz a lot o' water. I don't know its name. We were dere about
three days when dey had a battle, an' den Colonel Farrabow come round
an' tole me marster wuz gone. He told us to go to the breas'works and
work. I stayed dere three years and eight months. Den dey had anudder
battle dar just befo' I lef', and de Yankees tuc' de place.

"I went to de Yankees den. Dey give me clothes, shoes, sumtin to eat,
and some money too. I worked for 'em while dey were camped in Raleigh.
I come wid' em back to Raleigh. Dey were camped on Newbern Avenue and
Tarboro Street and all out in Gatlin' Field in de place now called
Lincoln Park. De Yankees, when dey tuc' us, tole us ter come on wid'
em. Dey tole us to git all de folks's chickens and hogs. We wuz behind
'em, an' we had plenty. Dey made us steal an' take things fur 'em.
Wheeler's Calvary went before us, dat's why dey wuz so rich. Dey got
all de silver, an' we got de chickens and hogs.

"De Yankees skinned chickens and geese. Dey cut hogs an' cows up an'
den skinned 'em. Dey took jis' part of a cow sometime, jis' de hind
quarters an' lef' de res'. We went to one place, an' de white 'oman
only had one piece o' meat an' a big gang o' little chillun. I begged
de Yankees to let dat piece of meat alone, she wuz so po', but de
officer tole 'em to take it, an' dey took her las' piece o' meat.

"I stayed wid de Yankees two years arter de surrender. Dey carried me
to Florida when I lef' Raleigh. When I lef' 'em in Florida I went ter
Texas to min' cattle. I stayed in Texas seven years. Den Mr. Hardie
Pool from down here at Battle Bridge, Wake County come out dere. When
he started home I couldn't stan' it no longer, an' I jis tole him I wuz
goin' back home to North Carolina. No Sir, when I got home, I would
not go back. No mo mi