Monday, May 12, 1862.
The black day.
Yesterday afternoon, Captain Hazard Stevens and orderly came
here with an order from General Hunter, commanding Mr. Pierce to send every
able-bodied negro down to Hilton Head to-day. Mr. Pierce was alarmed and
indignant and instantly went to Beaufort to see General Stevens, who told him
that he knew nothing of this but the order, and that he considered it
very ill-advised. Mr. Pierce went to Hilton Head to-day and saw General Hunter.
Meanwhile, last evening we were anxious and depressed at tea-time and talked in
a low tone about this extraordinary proceeding. It had been agreed with Mr.
Forbes that we should go to Hilton Head in his yacht to-day and we spoke of not
going. When Miss Walker came in we told her all about it, still in a low tone.
She was astonished at first and then said, “Sister French's time is come.” “What
time?” “She said she wanted to weep and pray with the people, and the time has
come to do it.” Miss Walker left the table crying herself. Rina and Lucy were
in the room, of course. After tea Rina came to my room and stood hanging
coaxingly about. “What are you going to do, missus, to-morrow?” she asked. “Spend
it in the cotton-house,” I said. “You not going to Hilton Head?” “No, I guess
not.” One question followed another, and I saw she was uneasy, but did not know
exactly what for. By the moonlight soon after when I looked out of the window,
I saw a company of soldiers marching up to the house. They stood for some time
about the yard and then marched off to go to the different plantations in
squads. Before they arrived, we all three, Miss W., Miss Nellie, and I, had had
a quiet time in the Praise House. Miss W. came to me and said she wanted to go
to-night, and so I went, too, and heard good old Marcus exhort, Dagus pray,
Miss Nelly read, and then all sing. Marcus said he had often told the negroes “dat
dey must be jus’ like de birds when a gunner was about, expectin' a crack ebery
minute;” that they never knew what would befall them, and poor black folks
could only wait and have faith; they couldn't do anything for themselves. But
though his massa had laughed and asked him once whether he thought Christ was
going to take d----d black niggers into heaven, he felt sure of one thing, that
they would be where Christ was, and even if that was in hell, it would be a
heaven, for it did not matter what place they were in if they were only with
Christ.
They thanked us for going to pray with them, so feelingly;
and I shook hands nearly all round when I came away, all showing gentle
gratitude to us. I could not help crying when Marcus was speaking to think how soon
the darkness was to close around them. It was after this that the soldiers
marched silently up and then away. The whole matter was unexplained to the
negroes, as by command we were not to speak of it to-night, lest the negroes
should take to the woods. Robert, however, asked Nelly why we were going to
Hilton Head, and other questions. Mr. Hooper and Mr. Pierce both having gone
away, I determined to go and tell Rina that their masters were not coming back,
for this I saw was their fear. So I went out to the yard and along to Rina's
house. I knocked, but she did not answer, and then I went to Susannah's. There
was no answer there either and so I came home. But the poor people, though all
looked quiet in the little street, were really watching and trembling. They set
a guard or watch all along the Bay here, and poor old Phyllis told me she shook
all night with fear. I suppose there was little sleep. Old Bess, when I went to
dress her leg, said, “Oh, I had such a night, so ’fraid. Dey all run and I not
a foot to stan' on. Dey must leave me. Oh, missus, do cure my leg. What shall
poor Bess do when dey all take to de woods, and I can't go — must stay here to
be killed. Dey kill me sure.” I told her they would not kill the women, but she
was sure they would shoot them or “lick” them to death. We were astir early and
up very late, for after twelve o'clock we heard a horse gallop up and a man's
step on the porch. I got out of the window and peeped over. It was Stevens'
orderly with his horse. I went down, let him have Mr. Hooper's bed on the
parlor floor, and tie his horse in the yard. After breakfast I went but to the
cotton house and was getting old Phyllis some clothes, when Nelly sent for me.
When I got in I saw two or three of the men standing on the porch talking
together and Captain S. saying it was dirty work and that he would resign his
commission before he would do it again. It appears that he had been up all
night riding over the island, and the poor soldiers had to march all that time
through the deep sand, those who had the farthest to go, and they were
ill-supplied with food. When the men came in from the stables and field,
Captain S. told them to stand below the steps while he spoke to them. So they
gathered around, distrust or dismay or else quiet watching on their faces. “General
Hunter has sent for you to go to Hilton Head and you must go.” Here the two
soldiers who came with him began loading their guns noisily. Captain S. went on
to say that General H. did not mean to make soldiers of them against their
will, that they should return if they wished to; but that they had better go
quietly. Miss W. then asked leave to speak, told them we knew nothing of this,
but that we knew General H. to be a friend to the black men, and they must trust,
as we did, that all was right and go willingly. “Oh, yes, missus,” they all
said, and some looked willing; others less so, but they all seemed to submit
passively and patiently if not trustfully. I said, “I hope you will all be back
again in a few days with your free papers, but if you are needed, I hope you
will stay and help to keep off the rebels.” Some mentioned their wives, and
begged in a low tone that Miss W. would care for them; two set out to bid
good-bye and a soldier followed them. Others sent for their caps and shoes, and
without a farewell to their wives were marched unprepared from the field to
their uncertain fate. It made my blood boil to see such arbitrary proceedings,
and I ached to think of the wives, who began to collect in the little street,
and stood looking towards their husbands and sons going away so suddenly and
without a word or look to them. I gave each negro man a half-dollar and Miss W.
each a piece of tobacco, and then they marched off. Sometime after I saw the
women still standing, and I went, on the excuse of dressing Bess's leg, down to
them. Some were crying bitterly, some looked angry and revengeful, but there
was more grief than anything else. I reassured them a little, I think, and told
them we would not leave them in danger and fly without letting them know. How
they could see their able-bodied men carried away so by force when they were
all last night in the terror of their masters’ return, I do not see, for they
must see that with these men gone, they are like lambs left without dogs when
there are wolves about. How rash of General Hunter to risk the danger of
resistance on their part, and how entirely unprotected he leaves us! Besides,
he takes the laborers from the field and leaves the growing crop to waste, for
the women alone cannot manage all these cotton and corn fields now that the
foreman and ploughman have gone. This Mr. Pierce stated forcibly to General
Hunter, and he admitted he had not thought of that. At least he might have
thought of the limits of his authority, for such forced levies are surely not
at the discretion of any general. It was so headlong!
At Nelly's school the children saw the soldiers coming with
their fathers and brothers. They began to cry and sob, and could not be
comforted, for Nelly could say nothing but that she knew no more than they did
what it all meant. But she soon dismissed school and came home to this sad
house. We have been indignant and very sad, but I have had too much to do to
feel deeply or think at all. I have had everybody at the plantation up to the
cotton-room and have given each some garments. This, with selling, took my
entire day.
It is heart-rending to hear of the scenes to-day — of how in
some places the women and children clung and cried — in others, how the men
took to the woods and were hunted out by the soldiers — of how patiently they
submitted, or trusted in others. Just at dusk a great number with a guard were
marched to this place. Mr. Pierce would not let them stay. He made a little
speech to the negroes. Told them General Hunter said they should not be made
soldiers against their will, and that he hoped they would get their free papers
by going. Told them to be cheerful, though it was not pleasant being marched
away from home and wives. They said, “Yes, sah,” generally with cheerfulness.
We then said good-bye to them; Miss W. and I having gone to them and Said a few
words of encouragement. The soldiers were grumbling at the work, and at having
had to march day and night on four biscuit — dinnerless and supperless, and
through sand, on a repulsive duty; it is pretty hard. They were the
Seventy-ninth New York (Highlanders), Company D.
About four hundred men, or perhaps not so many, were taken
to Beaufort to-night and are to go to Hilton Head to-morrow. The population is
here about 3000 to St. Helena's, and 1500 to Ladies' Island. It is too late to
retrace this step, but the injustice need be carried no further. Mr. P. wants
to write full accounts to the War Department, but I will not do as he wishes —
give my observation of to-day's scenes, till I know that General H. is not
trying for freedom.
SOURCE: Rupert Sargent Holland, Editor, Letters and
Diary of Laura M. Towne: Written from the Sea Islands of South Carolina
1862-1864, p. 41-7
