called
me and said, 'Cato, you's allus been a 'sponsible man, and I leave you
to look after the women and the place. If I don't come back, I want you
to allus stay by Missie Adeline! I said, 'Fore Gawd, I will, Massa Oll.'
He said, 'Then I can go away peaceable.'

"We thought for a long time the sojers had the Fed'rals whupped to
pieces, but there was plenty bad times to go through. I carried a gun
and guarded the place at nighttime. The paddyrollers was bad. I cotched
one and took him to the house more'n once. They wore black caps and put
black rags over their faces and was allus skullduggerying 'round at
night. We didn't use torches any more when we went 'round at night,
'cause we was afeared. We put out all the fires 'round the house at
nighttime.

"The young mens in grey uniforms used to pass so gay and singin', in the
big road. Their clothes was good and we used to feed them the best we
had on the place. Missie Adeline would say, 'Cato, they is our boys and
give them the best this place 'fords.' We taken out the hams and the
wine and kilt chickens for them. That was at first.

"Then the boys and mens in blue got to comin' that way, and they was
fine lookin' men, too. Missie Adeline would cry and say, 'Cato, they is
just mens and boys and we got to feed them, too.' We had a pavilion
built in the yard, like they had at picnics, and we fed the Fed'rals in
that. Missie Adeline set in to cryin' and says to the Yankees, 'Don't
take Cato. He is the only nigger man I got by me now. If you take Cato,
I just don't know what I'll do.' I tells them sojers I got to stay by
Missie Adeline so long as I live. The Yankee mens say to her, 'Don't
'sturb youself, we ain't gwine to take Cato or harm nothin' of yours.'
The reason they's all right by us, was 'cause we prepared for them, but
with some folks they was rough somethin' ter'ble. They taken off their
hosses and corn.

"I seed the trees bend low and shake all over and heard the roar and
poppin' of cannon balls. There was springs not too far from our place
and the sojers used to camp there and build a fire and cook a mule,
'cause they'd got down to starvation. When some of the guerillas seed
the fire they'd aim to it, and many a time they spoiled that dinner for
them sojers. The Yankees did it and our boys did it, too. There was
killin' goin' on so ter'ble, like people was dogs.

"Massa Oll come back and he was all wore out and ragged. He soon called
all the niggers to the