A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
As I had brought the sick woman and two little children that Captain
Howe had sent his ambulance for in the morning, in one wagon, I must go
to his hospital with them. This made us so late that the guard said I
could not be allowed to enter the camp without a permit from the
officer of the night. I told him where I had been all day without a
fire; and as he knew the storm had continued until late in the
afternoon, and this sick woman whom the captain had sent for could not
get through the lines in the morning, I hoped he would read my papers.
He held up his lantern to see them; but as soon as he caught sight of
my old portfolio he said, "Go on, I know who you are; I've seen that
before." I was permitted to leave my sick family in the hospital, and
drove the two miles to our head-quarters by eight o'clock. Although
very much chilled, I felt relieved, notwithstanding I had witnessed
such scenes of suffering and dying during that eventful day.
One morning the little drummer-boy of twelve years of age marched into
camp with seven men that he had taken prisoners, ragged and almost
barefooted. The suffering men were glad to find comfortable quarters.
Occasionally we found them tamely submitting to be taken, on account of
their sufferings for want of food and clothing. One entire company, who
suffered themselves to be captured, told our officers if they would
allow them to wear out of sight some sort of a Union mark, so as not to
meet with trouble from our soldiers, they would go and bring in their
entire regiment, as they all wanted to come into our lines. They were
furnished with a badge of national colors to wear under their coats.
Soon the whole regiment were with us. One of our officers said they
were among our most efficient helps. One of them told me if they had
known the real object of the war they would never have gone into it;
for more than half of them had never owned a slave, and those who did
were better off without them. They were surprised to find an attendance
of supplies. They had always been told that all the difference between
the Northern people and their slaves was the color of their skin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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