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Famous letter of a former slave to his master...
Famous letter of a former slave to his master...
Item # 663369
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August 22, 1865
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, Aug. 22, 1865
* A Free Man's Letter to his Former Slave owner
* Freed slave Jordan Anderson to his former Master
The most interesting item in this newspaper is the famous "Letter from a Freedman to his Old Master" found on page 7. Jordan Anderson received a letter from his former owner asking for his return to the Tennessee plantation to restore the farm left in disarray after the war. This is Anderson's response, described as a rare example of 'slave humor' of the period, & its deadpan style has been compared to the satire of Mark Twain.
In the letter, Jordan Anderson describes his better life in Ohio, and asks his former master to prove his goodwill by paying the back wages he and his wife are owed for many years of slave labor, a total of 52 years combined. He asks if his daughters will be safe and able to have an education, since they are "...good-looking girls..." and Jordan would rather die "...than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters... how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine." The letter concludes with: "Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me."
The letter became a media sensation, appearing in a few newspapers and since having been reprinted in numerous books.
Additionally, over half of the front page is taken up with graphic details of "The Trial of Wirz" "Charges & Specifications" "Starvation & Murder" "First Day's Proceedings", being the beginning of this famous trial of the Andersonville Prison commandant.
Eight pages, very nice condition.
Category: The Civil War
No Longer Available
