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Introduction
The Harsh Business of Slavery
The harsh business of slavery is the subject of this letter from Mrs.
N. C. Battle to her daughter (GLC09039). Battle bluntly writes about
a massive slave sale organized in 1860 after a relative's estate was
apparently willed to several family members. The auction netted the
family over $23,000, which would be the equivalent of over 3 million
dollars today, and sparked familial infighting that arose over the division
of the money [1]. Documentation uncovered by the Georgia Archives reveals
that a wealthy sibling named Curran Battle was the estate's executor
[2]. According to N.C. Battle, Curran was cheating the family by selling
the "family Negros." The letter mentions her pleading her
case to the court and traveling to the auction to repurchase slaves
the she felt were her rightful inheritance. Although the letter does
not state the number of slaves sold, broadsides within the Gilder Lehrman
Collection indicate that sales ranged from $75 to $1000 per person.
Mrs. Battle had a low opinion of many of the slaves she chose not to
spare from the sale reasoning that they were unappreciative of her hospitality
and generosity: "all the negros that are of any value we have them
after Curran aggravated them as much as he pleased." Another intriguing
aspect of the letter is revealed in the rather joyful announcement of
many births on the plantation, including a set of triplets. This letter
opens a window into the mind of a slave owner and exposes the norms
of an era in which people were viewed as property.
Krista Rupe, Special Project Manager
Gilder Lehrman Collection
Footnotes:
[1] Amount of auction profits today was calculated using the unskilled
wage index developed by Samuel H. Williamson, ” What is
the Relative Value?" Economic History Services, June 2006,
URL: http://eh.net/hmit/compare.
[2] Gilder Lehrman would like to thank Dale Couch at the Georgia
Archives and Susan Ballinger at the University of North Carolina
for their assistance in researching this document. |
Item Description and Credits
GLC 09039, Autographed letter written
by N.C. Battle to her daughter, 10 June 1860 .
For more information or to obtain copies, contact Ana Ramirez-Luhrs
at reference@gilderlehrman.com
or call (212) 787-6616 ext. 209.
Transcript
My very dear & absent Child
Knowing your anxiety to hear from home &The sales of the
negroes I concluded to day so write you: in a few words I went
to Town & bought all the negroes except Charity mamma
& Charity, four youngest Children Roanna in the lot, your
Uncle Lucian brought a bye bidder from North Carolina Dave Williams
he hid the Lot off for the Boys. they are now very anxious to
sell them your Par intends to get [inserted: them]
but wants to hold on a while Mamma is down at Watsons
very much pestered she never would say before the sale who she
wanted to buy her but now she is brought to her senses
Daughter I am not much grieved about either Cha[r]y or Charity
they both have acted the Lady ever since they came in my possession
& I have been the slave now let them see the difference
between me & other [2] people. I think it will
be a real advantage to all hands the whole sales amounted to
$23000 — 95 dollars those that I bid off to $2295,
Your Par recovered your & Love’s interest from Lucian
by stratigem he refused to pay it that is he never intended
to pay it he intended to cheat you out of it charged you ten
per cent on the little he gave to you he made Bills will himself
the sum was $2500 after taking the 10 per cent out it left you
$220l & something he charged you every cent the law would
allow him the stratagem was, he gave Lucian a Draft on M.P.
Stovall [Storall?] base it arranged with Stovall Lucian presented
the Draft to Stovall he refused it suffered the Draft
to be protested Lu was on his way home had to return to Warrenton
worse off than he was 13 years ago he & Fed & Watson
were the worst pestered men you ever saw Curran had [inserted:
the] Negroes & the Bill of Sales & they had nothing
what to do they knew not, they would not come to see, me but
they came then mighty quick, that night Lucian agreed to pay
over your part, he did not think that [3] he could
recover one cent from Curran then until he sued it out he was
the worst frightened man you ever saw perfectly humble to Curran
Curran cursed him for every dammed rogue & theif he could
think of Lucian took it all, Daughter to tell you the truth
he is afraid of your Par & saw & heard it with my own
eyes & ears all the negroes that are of any value we have
them after Curran aggravated them as much as he pleased &
recovered your interest) [inserted: he then paid them
cash $9,995)] which was all that he wanted at first this is
only a brief sketch of the proceedings when Love & your
Par comes on they will give you a full history your Pardy says
he will write you before he comes. As for my comeing Daughter
I will give you an idea of the situation of my family &
leave it for you to say whether I can come or not, first in
answer to your question Lucys Babe is a Boy & a very pretty
child, last Saturday the 9th - Adaline gave birth to 3 boy Children
they were very large fine Children Dr Hubert had to crush one
the last to save the mother they were all three alike the other
two are doing first-rate to use the expression Hyman I make
her stay with Ad all the time & wait upon her night &
day [4] Jack is now sick & Cora [Sib?Lib?]
will be confined in a few weeks if they live the plantation
will be filled with Babies, now with all this do you think I
can leave & am so anxious to see you Miss Sarah says to
Love you have grown to be quite a tall young Lady do not have
your hair cut any more send your likeness as soon as you can
Sister Fl[ow?ew?eur] is teething which makes her very unwell
Lovey says the Negroes have all come back & he has got his
play boys again sends his love but not a kiss Julia says she
will write next week & sends her love she is making herseff
a pretty quilt for the Sparta Fair Love joins me in love to
you & says tell Miss Sarah she will write to her next week
& give her a description of the Picnic; Mrs Roberts &
your Pars which will be at Mr Swains Shool house your Uncle
[J]ack & Aunt Netty will be here Aunt [illegible] will not
be able to be here I do not expect to go & did not attend
Mrs Roberts & feel so thankful to my heavenly Master for
delivering [struck: her] me from on through my troubles
that I do not feel like dancing & feel like I want to praise
& thank him the balance of my life your Par presented me
the day of the [inserted: (sale with)] a splendid set
of China a full set six day plates 180 pieces in the set without
cups or sugar dish or Tea pot
NC Battle
[Postscript on top of page 1]:
Give my love to Rebecca all are well at Amondes
I was there yesterday Betty has gone to Hancock to [Cousin]
Masons wedding married to Wm Tom Jones be as equinomical about
your clothing as possible always refer to Mrs Wood & my
love to all of the Family. What kind of Fruits would you like
for me to put up in air tight-Cans for you what would be most
rare with you also be neat in your clothing my Child
Your Par has gone to his Mill in the [K? illegible]woods the
whole Family join me in love to you & Rebecca write as early
as possible
Your Mother as ever
N.C. Battle
first & second leaves of Cotton for Mr. Tinkhorn
[Additional postscript begins on top of page 3 and continues
on top of page 2]:
Daughter I went to the Court-House myself Amanda with me
& bid off the Negroes saved your Par its said $7000 The
Negroes were so proud when they saw me ran & cried &
begged me to buy them.
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Suggested Reading
Davis, David Brion, Inhuman Bondage : The Rise
and Fall of Slavery in the New World. New York: Oxford University
Press, USA, 2006.
Foner, Eric and Brown, Joshua, Forever Free : The Story of Emancipation
and Reconstruction. New York: Knopf, 2005.
Gilmore, Glenda Elizabeth, Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics
of White Supremacy in North Carolina 1896-1920. Chapel Hill, NC:
University of North Carolina Press, 1996.
Horton, James Oliver and Lois E, Slavery and the Making of America.
New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004.
Kolchin, Peter, American Slavery: 1619-1877. New York: Hill
and Wang, 2003.
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