Gilbert

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Birth and Childhood ii

II. Bound Out i6

Preface

T his work is submitted to the public without apology. It is the story of the lifetime experience of an ante belluin, uneducated, Virginia negro. It will be found replete with thrilling adventure, touching loyalty, and, in many instances, nigh superhuman achievements. Covering a period of sixty years, it includes much inside unwritten history of his time prior to and during the Civil War, and much may be gleaned by the reader of the present generation.

The part he took during the excitement over the John Brown raid should be read by every Southern man. His harangue to the black slave leaders who had clandestinely assembled to formulate a plot to rise and murder their white masters should endear his memory to every descendant of a former slave owner. The story, in all of its details of the Jamestown massacre, of which Gilbert was the sole survivor, is not only of deep interest, but is extremely thrilling.

The men of the North, and those of the South, who participated in the Armies of the

PREFACE.

Rebellion, will find in this work many interesting incidents of the part he played between the lines of the contending forces. And lastly, the public will discover an unbiased expression of the truth of the adage, “A man’s a man for a’ that.”

The Author.

Chapter I. Birth And Childhood

I T was away back during the early administration of President Andrew Jackson, while the Nation was teeming with the excitement of his quaint campaign speeches and his far more important executive acts. At a time when the Blackwater belt of Virginia was up in arms and alarm over the incipient war between the whites and their slaves, the latter under the leadership of Nat Turner who had induced his fellow bondsmen to oppose the authority of their masters — that there was born to a free colored mother and a slave father, in the county of Sussex, State of Virginia, not far distant from the scene of “ Nat’s Rebellion,” as the uprising among the slaves was termed, a boy child who was destined to enact a role upon the stage of life most remarkably thrilling, likewise romantic and tragically energetic.

It was during the year eighteen hundred and thirty-one that Gilbert first saw the light of day and breathed the free air of heaven. The exact date may never be known, as all of those who

GILBERT ; OR, THEN AND NOW.

might have been in possession of this particular knowledge have long since passed away and are known only in the memory of the oldest inhabitants.

During his early childhood Gilbert differed but little from other children in his sphere of life among the blacks. His mother being a free born negress, under the law of descent and that of the State in which she lived, Gilbert was not amenable to the control of anyone save his maternal parent. The first ten years of the boy’s life were spent in listless abandon, about the cabin door of his birthplace, near the swamp of the Blackwater River, whence he unrestrainedly roamed — half wild, half clad — without a disturbing care, save perhaps a childish fear, that his mother’s scanty larder might not afford him a sufficient supply of ash cake or perchance that ’possum and “coon” were threateningly scarce.

Gilbert had no idea of letters. The law of the Old Dominion Commonwealth forbade, under heavy penalty, anyone from instructing a negro in the art even of learning the alphabet. He had never looked in a book, never once dreamed of the primary rudiments of an education. He only existed, living from hand to mouth like any other pickaninny of his race

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD.

and time, basking in the sunshine of indolent contentment, free from the cares and perplexities of life. One morning Gilbert awoke from his dream of blissful security, however, to the consciousness that he was all alone in this cruel world ; that there were none left to caress him ; that he must sink or swim as chance decreed, for before his infantile gaze he beheld his mammy, dead !

Charitable hands performed the last service she required, and little Gilbert was, indeed, a waif. No father’s care to shield and support him ; no friend to encourage or comfort him ; he was simply Gilbert, the little orphan. “ Free nigger,” without a home, without a known friend — practically without a country. At his tender age these reflections would not have so much disturbed him as his loneliness, which was quickly relieved, however, by the friendly voice of one whose sympathy for the little orphan’s helplessness prompted him to come to his rescue, and which deed of kindness led to the future moulding of this seemingly insignificant black lump of mortal clay into a shape from which developed a future replete with adventures and enterprise, romance, danger and fortitude. Joy and sorrow were to accompany him in his struggle. Endurance and suffering,

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fame and fortune, faithfulness and honor became his handmaids. And now in the ripeness of his old age truly may he find throughout the length and breadth of this glorious land, those who will sympathize with him in his battle of life ; rejoice with him in his past success ; regret his misfortunes ; admire his sterling qualities ; pause amazed at the force of character he has always displayed, and finally, when one has read the life of this living exponent of what the black American citizen may accomplish singlehanded, untutored and alone, truly all must acknowledge that victory does not in every instance perch upon the banners of the superior race,’^ but that the colored brother is even more deserving of respect and encouragement than the indigent, degenerate, white man who boasts a social superiority inherited from a line of worthy sires who hurled defiance at a semibarbaric system.

One need only study the career of Booker T. Washington to learn how perseverance and energy, coupled with an indomitable will and a determination to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles v/ill succeed, even in a man with a black skin. Self-educated himself, he has for severel years devoted his best efforts to the uplifting of his race, and the success he has met

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD.

with in this laudable endeavor is secondary only to that which rewarded his early struggles in his own behalf. The persistency and eloquence with which he has advocated higher education for colored youth has attracted to the cause eminent men and women, not only in the United States, but from almost every country in the civilized world.

Chapter II. Bound Out

R obert bain, a white man, living near the home of the lad Gilbert’s mother, was he who came to the rescue of the boy at the moment when, overwhelmed by his bereavement and loneliness, the child knew not which way to go, or a soul who would care for him. Robert Bain was a thrifty planter, of no mean ability, possessing a kind heart and gentle manner. Like others in that section of rural Virginia, he owned a fine estate, well-stocked with human as well as animal life.

Among the members of Mr. Bain’s family was his son, William, or as he was more familiarly known, “Billy,” about the same age as that of the lad Gilbert. Billy’s father bethought him of the opportunity to render Gilbert a very great kindness, and, at the same time find a suitable servant companion for his future heir. With this determination in his mind he led the orphan boy to his home and installed him in comfortable quarters, having apprised him of the fact that he would apprentice him during

BOUND OUT.

his minority and that he should not lack a friend during Mr. Bain’s lifetime.

Naturally everything about him appeared strange to this backwoods boy, accustomed only to the noise of owls and bats, or the shrill yelp of the gray fox. He literally knew nothing of the habits and customs of the better class of white people who dwelt about him. In fact this was the first planter’s dwelling he had ever entered, and the contrast between the thatched-roof shanty wherein he had been born and the luxuriance of this country seat came nigh bewildering him. In the course of a week or two, however, the boy had become accustomed to his new surroundings, and like any other child of such tender age, soon forgot his grief and became thoroughly absorbed in the new and strange sights hourly appearing before his astonished gaze. Mr. Bain had supplied him with suitable raiment, in which to make a presentable appearance and had installed him in the ‘‘ great house,” as the blacks generally were in the habit of designating the mansion of the master of an estate, there to serve and amuse Billy, his young master, and to run errands for the mistress of the farm.

Billy Bain was delighted with this new acquisition to his boyish pleasures and soon formed

GILBERT ; OR, THEN AND NOW.

a warm attachment for this strange child. The two boys became fast friends, nor has the hour yet come when either regretted the strange fate that threw them together.

It is singular and well nigh unaccountable, that at this day, when liberal, social and political views have made such stupendous strides, when an enlightened age, the civilized world over, has become convinced that the color of a human skin should not debar its wearer of liberty nor equal rights before the laws of the realm, that one hears so much said about the fear of contamination of the white and black race. No honest man will dispute the fact that prior to the Civil War, the children of the slave owner and those of his black servants associated as freely and in a spirit of as sincere friendship as did ever a Damon and Pythias. It is, indeed, a consoling reflection, evidencing that broad and generous view of generations past, from the days of the Washingtons, who allowed one of their slaves to be married in the library of Mount Vernon, in the presence of the Washington family, who graced the occasion, that no idea of contamination nor degrading influence or prejudice was entertained. The mistress mingled freely with the maid-servant in the domestic relations, the master often con-

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A COr.ORKD SLAVE WOMAN NURSING A WHITE CHILD.

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ferred with and took council of his men-servants touching the interests of the plantations ; the children of the household were privileged to wile away the hours of the day in play with those of black slave mothers and often took them to the nursery with them at night.

Why, then, should the scions of these cherish a feeling of hatred, or of fear of social degradation — toward the blacks ? Why should the whites of the present day ostracise the progeny of those whom the master and mistress of fifty years ago so beloved ? Are they ashamed of the contaminating (?) influence drawn from the breast of some “ black mammy ” by the fathers who begat them, or the mothers who bore them ? Is it a sentiment ; a narrow-minded degeneracy of the present generation, or is it simply a political trick to keep the Negro in the background ?

For six years the boy Gilbert resided in the family of Robert Bain without a care to mar the buoyancy of his rapidly developing manhood. The Orphans’ Court had regularly apprenticed him, for the period of his minority, to the kind and considerate master to whom he owed so great a debt of gratitude. He soon found that he was treated far differently and with a deal more of consideration than the rest

GILBERT ; OR, THEN AND NOW.

of the colored members of Mr. Bain’s household ; that he was practically recognized as one of the family circle. All of which he attributed to the influence of young Billy, who generally had his own way.

The instructive training, in the way of preparing the boy for a life of usefulness, he had received from both his master and mistress during the years he had served them, made a deep and lasting impression upon the mind of Gilbert and laid the foundation for the growth of those traits of character which, in after years, became so commendably prominent and which served him so successfully at times when he stood in the greatest need of mature judgment

During this period of his life he was often associated with white boys of about his own age. Playing with them on terms of equality, he hunted and fished with them, besides indulging in many of the sports of the day. The sons of the planters of that period bore neither prejudice nor malice toward the black boy of one of their neighbor companions. But, passing strange as it may appear, for their descendants to mingle with the blacks at this day would be considered a disgrace. Is the colored man of the hour inferior to his ancestors, or is the white man of this generation better than the sire in

BOUND OUT.

whom he takes so much pride in commemorating the memory of, and in heralding his connection with the world ?

When Gilbert had reached his sixteenth birthday, Robert Bain sickened and died. No greater calamity could have befallen his apprentice. No member of the Bain family more sincerely mourned the loss of the head of the house than did this poor orphan boy. The friendly counsel he had enjoyed ; the kindly instruction he had so regularly received ; the sound of the voice of his master — rather let us say his foster parent — had been forever silenced by the Grim Reaper at a time when he so much needed the advice to which he had become accustomed. True, the mistress and young Billy Bain remained to comfort him, but these were not he who had rescued the child in the hour of his helplessness. After the death of Robert Bain, Gilbert became restless and dissatisfied. The only home which, indeed, he had ever enjoyed ; the only friend whom he had really ever appreciated became a blank.

What should he do ; go, or stay ? He was rapidly nearing his seventeenth birthday. His young master had discarded the amusements of his boyhood, and he too had tired of childish sports. His mind, however, was quickly made

GILBERT; OR, THEN AND NOW.

Up. He would leave the old plantation, and try the world on his own account.

No sooner had he informed the widow of Robert Bain of his intention than he was at once confronted with the information that his term of service did not expire with the death of his master, but would continue under her guidance until he reached the age of twentyone years. This announcement fell about his ears like a thunder clap from a clear sky. He had not once thought of such a thing, but he could readily understand it, and thus he saw his intentions frustrated in the twinkling of an eye. Against this edict, however, the boy rebelled, but the stern command of the Orphans’ Court compelled him to accept the inevitable, and he took his place on the farm, no longer as a companion and house-servant, but as a fieldlaborer. His changed condition greatly galled the spirit of the boy who, although entirely unlettered, had received a training deserving of a better and higher station and he was determined to break the bonds that fettered him. Fate came to his rescue, however, sooner than he might have expected. Only a few months thereafter Mrs. Bain followed her husband to the grave, and the boy saw an avenue of possible escape, yet there was another impediment

BOUND OUT.

to appear upon the face of this perplexing problem which he anxiously awaited to see developed.

When the funeral services over the remains of Gilbert’s late mistress had ended and her remains had been deposited beside those of her late husband, Gilbert was informed by a relative of his late mistress that he must serve the remainder of his term of apprenticeship under the husband of a married daughter of his former master, who resided in another section of Sussex County. This changing of masters did not suit the boy at all and he openly opposed the arrangement to the end.

I shall never submit. I was bound out to Robert Bain, not to anyone else, nor do I intend to serve under another,” said he, when told to pack his bundle and report at his new home.

A gentleman, who had been for years a close friend of Robert Bain, learning of the contemplated disposition to be made of Gilbert, advised the boy to run away. Gilbert at once heeded this suggestion, and true to the characteristic instincts of his race acted upon the advice which had come so opportunely, and packing his belongings into a convenient bundle and safely tucking the few coins he had saved securely in his pocket, during the day, was prepared to bid

GILBERT ; OR, THEN AND NOW.

farewell to Sussex County before another sun should rise. Morning found him well on the road to the home of an acquaintance who resided in Petersburg, where he arrived safely, and hav ing told his story was welcomed as a refugee.

Of course his sudden and unceremonious departure created a sensation at the Bain homestead, greatly aggravating those who had assumed authority over the boy. A diligent search was inaugurated, looking to his capture, but time sped on and no tidings were received from the recreant fugitive who had baffled the searchers, and so far successfully sundered the bonds that bound him to a distasteful master, thereby defying the decree of the court that he should linger on a farm until his manhood had been attained.

Gilbert was safe from capture and found himself nineteen years old before a longing desire crept over him to return to the haunts of his childhood. This inclination he repelled for a season but in an evil moment he gave way to his inclinations, and, now a physically developed man, with the earnings of more than a year’s labor in his pocket, he journeyed back to Sussex County to see the folks he had left two years before.

Scarcely had he crossed the boundary of his

BOUND OUT.

native township when he was recognized, apprehended and returned to the scenes of his former labors. It was with no good grace that the young man made the journey beside an officer, back to the Bain Homestead, but even while en route thither his mind was actively engaged and plans of escape were laid. He expected no favors upon his arrival. He knew that the two years of service looked for by the new master, which he had not rendered, was calculated to embitter any feeling he might entertain, and hence Gilbert scented trouble from afar.

So you have come back,” were the first words that greeted him when he alighted in the presence of his irate master.

** Yes, I have been brought back but not to stay, for I give you notice I will not serve you,” was Gilbert's repl)\

This response so enraged the man that he struck Gilbert a stinging blow which sent his blood tingling through his veins. He would not tamely submit to such treatment, and in less than a week he was again a fugitive, determined never again to be caught in Sussex during his minority, and as this story progresses the reader will learn that he kept that determination to the letter.

We leave Gilbert to his fate to introduce

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Other localities and characters who have much to do with the hero of this story, only intimating that the young man found friends, and abundant employment, to satisfy his longings, during the remaining years of his minority.

Chapter III. Claremont And Colonel Allen

B ordering the James River’s southern^ bank opposite the mouth of the Chickahominy, its largest tributary, which became so historically memorable in early colonial days, and again during the conflict between the States of the Union, being the route of the Federal forces under General McClellan, in his famously ill-starred campaign against Richmond, forty years ago, lies Claremont village ; of modern structure, but bearing the name of all of that section, of which we shall presently speak, formerly noted as the ancestral home of one of the most distinguished families of Virginia. In earlier days Claremont comprised an area of many square miles.

More than a century and a quarter have passed into history since there arrived in this country, from his native England, an eccentric young bachelor of prepossessing appearance, , physically robust, of great energy, large fortune for that day, of classical ability and determined ambition. That he was an adventurer

GILBERT ; OR, THEN AND NOW.

to the New World there can be no doubt, but as all of his plans were successfully laid he soon became one of the most noted characters of the Old Dominion.

Colonel William Allen acquired all of that once vast undivided estate which was named by himself, Claremont. His broad acreage spread out into the tens of thousands ; his slaves were numbered by the hundred ; his cattle roamed in mighty herds ; his fields of grain and tobacco appeared before the beholder like an endless prairie. From Swan’s Point to Lower Brandon the waters of the noble river washed the borders of his domain, which extended inland to the shore of the Blackwater.

Over this vast holding Colonel Allen supremely reigned with a hand as firm as the rock of Gibraltar ; with an eye as keen as the native eagle ; with a heart as large and as warm as that of any which throbbed beneath the waistcoat of his fellow-countrymen.

During his long and popular residence at Claremont, Colonel Allen came into possession of vast tracts of land lying on the northern bank of the James, notably the island of Jamestown, famous as being the first permanent English settlement in America, and which location is at present attracting the attention of all civiliza-

CLAREMONT AND COLONEL ALLEN.

tion, in anticipation of the proposed celebration to be holden thereon by the English speaking people both of the Old and New World in nineteen hundred and seven, that being the three hundredth anniversary of that early event which culminated in the making of this Grand Republic, the First Nation on the face of the globe.

Colonel Allen had taken his degree at Oxford and was cultivated beyond most of those of his associates. By hereditary right his lineage was closely associated with that of England’s monarch. He was a scholar of “ye olden time,” affiliating with the best men of the young Republic. He entertained freely the noted men and women of earlier days, dined sumptuously and attended church regularly, and yet Colonel William Allen was a great old sinner, possibly awaiting a glorious hereafter. Early in life he counted among his boon companions such men of prominence as Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Thomas Paine, besides innumerable lesser lights, but these grand and good men could not restrain him in some of his worldly questionable propensities. Truly this remarkable Englishman sadly lacked in morality.

Colonel Allen could not be ensnared into a gilbert ; or, then and now.

matrimonial alliance by any of the beautifully fascinating belles of his day, although many practised their sweetest and most winsome maidenly wiles upon him, in the vain endeavor to catch this peculiar genius, who was prone to cajole and flatter but never entertained a serious thought of matrimony. His hospitable and palatial home at Claremont was presided over by a sister, who had one son. This boy will later appear in these pages as conspicuously bearing upon the life of Gilbert.

The reader is not led to infer that Colonel Allen was a woman hater. Far from it. He would ally himself to none in accordance with the lawful social code, but two illegitimates claimed the colonel as being their distinguished sire, and as he fostered both of these it is to be assumed that they were flesh of his flesh, nor is it to be denied that one of these, whose name was Emanuel, was the offspring of a colored mother.

Over the maternal parents of these children let the veil of charitable silence be drawn, but as both of the boys, William and Emanuel, are closely connected with the thread of this story, it is necessary that they be conspicuously mentioned in these pages. Among the many slaves of Colonel Allen was John Wooten, this same

CLAREMONT AND COLONEL ALLEN.

John being the father of Gilbert. Now Gilbert having been born to a free mother would soon be at an age when he could roam the wide world over, while his father must remain the bondsman of Colonel Allen or his assigns.

In the preceding chapter we left Gilbert to his fate, but with a determination not again to visit Sussex County during his minority. When Gilbert had traveled a safe distance from successful pursuit he realized that his plans were immature. Really he did not know just what course to follow. He had had enough of Petersburg — particularly as he had been so indiscreet while in Sussex as to allow the place of his refuge to become known. It would not do to return, as he would likely be detected and arrested. What should he do ? Where go ? These two problems sorely and boldly confronted him. Daylight found him undecided when he unexpectedly thought of Claremont, of which he had heard so much ; of his father, of whom he knew so little. Would Colonel Allen allow him to stay there ? Could he see his father ? With such thoughts in his mind he turned his footsteps in the direction of this great estate.

About this time Colonel Allen was having erected a fine large flour mill upon the upper

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waters of Chipoax creek, under the supervision of his illegitimate son, William, who had arrived at the age of manhood several years before. Of this fact Gilbert learned during the day, and at once determined to go to the seat of the structure and apply for work. Evening found him within the confines of Claremont, and a good Samaritan fed and sheltered him for the night.

Early on the following morning he set out for the point of his destination, and just as the sun rose above the tree tops he had reached the site. The mammoth structure in course of erection he saw before him, and the many workmen actively busy, nigh overawed him, but inquiring for the superintendent, who was readily pointed out to him, he approached and said : “ Good morning, sir,” bowing low, while he carried his cap in his hand. “ Can I find work with you, sir?”

William’s mind was much preoccupied at that moment, but something about the boy attracted his attention, and he quickly replied, “Work? Work, did you say?” And having critically looked the boy over continued — “ Why, boy, you are almost too young to understand the kind of work I am having done, but we will see. Can you shovel dirt?”

CLAREMONT AND COLONEL ALLEN.

** O, yes, sir,” responded Gilbert.”

“Ever do any hard work?”

“ Many a time, sir,” answered Gilbert.

And then William propounded a question which caused the cold chills to creep up the boy’s back.

“Who are you, and where do you come from?”

Gilbert did not really know how to evade this inquiry, it coming upon him so suddenly, and yet he was loth to tell the superintendent whence he came.

“ I am the son of one of Colonel Allen’s men, born of a free mother, who died and left me alone. I have been living and working about Petersburg lately,” he answered.

“ What is your father’s name, boy ? ” inquired William.

“John, sir.”

“You don’t say ? ” quickly came the response. “ You may find your father at work on the mill. If you are telling me the truth I will give you something to do as long as you wish to remain, but remember, I cannot employ slave boys who have run away from their masters. Come with me. We’ll see your father.” And William started toward the building, Gilbert following him.

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It had been so many years since Gilbert had last seen his father, strange as that fact may appear to the reader unfamiliar with the customs of the South, that he felt certain he would not recognize his parent, but he trusted to his father’s recognition of him when he had told his name; that of his mother, and where he had lived in Sussex.

“John,” said William, approaching the slave father, who had just a moment before touched the earth, having been high up among the rafters of the great building, “ here is a boy who says you are his father. Is it true?” John looked at the young man for a few moments and replied, “Yes, sir; that is Gilbert. He is my boy, sure enough, but it has been a long time since I saw him and I did not know that I ever would again.” And going up to Gilbert he exclaimed : “Howdy, child? Can’t you speak to your daddy ? ” Gilbert greeted his father warmly, and while shaking his hand exclaimed : “ I thought you would know me!”