Slave Poem: "They Say I Would Bee Happy If I Would Run Away"

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/30/2019

A good pair of war-date manuscript poems, 2pp. folio, the first is a slave related runways poem, entitled Ella Ree, reading, in part: "...Sweet Ella Ree…her home was down in Tennisee, before this cruel war…cary me back to Tennisee. There's where I long to be…with my darling Ella Ree…I from day to day keep wishing to be free and from old massa run away and leave my Ella Ree. They say I would bee happy if I would run away, But if take me back again. I'm sure I'll always stay…they say the war is over at last. The colored race is free. The good old time has come at last, we've waited long to see…then cary me back to Tennisee."While on the verso is this pro-Union poem, reading, in part: "Jeff Davis is the president of the seceded States…made all he's laws according…himself is doing fine and the north is left behind…the nigger on the other side of Jordan. Way down at Bowling Green. The likes never yet was seen…we run them twelve miles and we heaped them up in piles besides what we drowned in the river. He sent his army round to Charleston harbor bound for to reinforce fort Sumpter but our boys they ware awoke…they knew what was at stake…they made him take back…our boys fired the guns and the rebels they did run way down to the Green brier river. Every devil done his best to…get back to green brier for shelter…you ought to see them frown with their broad coat tailes flowin. Jeff…he up and tore his hair because the boys lost all his cannon." Expected folds with some toning, else VG

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