I appreciate comments by Patrick and Richard regarding masters and slaves during the War and before. Often the bond between the two were very, very strong.
On 3/27 I wrote about Winston Groom book, "Shrouds of Glory". In it Groom mentions Brigadier General States Rights Gist, a South Carolinian who had graduated from Harvard Law School and fought in the Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Atlanta campaigns and finally in bloody Franklin.. His slave and body servant, "Uncle Wiley" Howard was with him throughout.
Hearing Gist has been shot in the battle of Franklin, Howard goes to find him. He says: "It tuck me er long time ter make my way. De ground wuz piled wid wounded men an wid dead men...after a while I got ter de hospital. where Dr. Wright asks 'What does yer want Wiley/' I sez, 'I come to see about de General'. Dr. Wright says, 'I done all I could Wiley, but he died at half past eight.' "
Wiley took his Gist's body to the nearby William White home where he found Mrs. White. He told her, "General Gist has been killed, en axed her if we could bury him in her graveyard...we buried him in her yard under er big cedar tree".
I am sure similar situations occurred during the course of the War in other master-slave relationships.
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