in gray clothes. (He was a spy). The way he talk
you think he a southern man 'cept his speech was hard and short. I
noticed that to begin wid. They thought other rebels in the corn pin
but they wasn't. Wasn't nobody out there but me. Then here come a man
in blue uniform. After while here come the regiment. It did scare me.
Bob and Tom (white boys) Lambert gone to war then. They fooled round a
while then they galloped off. I show was glad when the last man rid
off!

Moster Lambert then hid the slaves in the bottoms. We carried
provisions and they sent more'long. We stay two or three days or a
week when they hear a regiment comin' through or hear 'bout a scoutin
gang comin' through. They would come one road and go back another
road. We didn't care if they hid us. We hear the guns. We didn't
wanter go down there. That was white man's war. In 1862 and 1863 they
slipped off every man and one woman to Helena. I was yokin' up oxen.
Man come up in rebel clothes. He was a spy. I thought I was gone then
but and a guard whut I didn't see till he left went on. I dodged round
till one day I had to get off to mill. The Yankees run up on me and
took me on. I was fifteen years old. I was mustered in August and let
out in 1864 when it was over. I was in the Yankee army 14 months. They
told me when I left I made a good soldier. I was with the standing
army at Helena. They had a battle before I went in. I heard them say.
You could tell that from the roar and cannons. They had it when I was
in Texas. I wasn't in a battle. The Yankees begin to get slim then
they made the darkies fill up and put them in front. I heard 'em say
they had one mighty big battle at Helena. I had to drill and guard the
camps and guard at the pickets (roads into Helena). They never let me
go scoutin'. I walked home from the army. I was glad to get out. I
expected to get shot 'bout all the time. I aint seen but mighty little
difference since freedom. I went back and stayed 45 years on the
Lambert place. I moved to Duncan. Moster died foe the Civil War. Some
men raised dogs-hounds. If something got wrong they go get the dogs
and use 'em. If some of the slaves try to run off they hunt them with
the dogs. It was a big loss when a hand run off they couldn't ford
that thing. They whoop 'em mostly fer stealin'. They trust 'em in
everything then they whoop 'em if they steal. They know it wrong.
Course they did. The worse thing I ever seen in slavery was when we
went to Te