Alyssa+Thach

 NAME AND& DESCRiPTiON: ===Born without a name, but called Tre` on the Blackerby Cotton Plantation of Mr. James Bckerby and Mrs. Laura Blackerby, which is located in Charlestson, South Carolina. I have grown to be 27 years old. My wife, Milani Blackerby, and my daughter, Eva Blackerby, live in a one room brick house just nearby the plantation. I, out of most men slaves, can read, write, manage, and speak fluently. Because of my infamouse skills ( hehe ), I was sent out to a dangerous battle, the Battle of Gettysburg, to help my plantation owner, James Blackerby, keep his fortune. Fighting on the Confederate's side, will help me experience the outside life of slavery. Hopefully, I'll survive to become a free man, because if we fight in the war and survive, we are claimed as free men. === = = -- Tre`Blackerby

 A PAGE FROM THE JOURNAL OF A SLAVE ENTRY NUMBER 1: Perspective on Abraham Lincoln  Fighting in the war can be really exhuasting, but at the same time, you can meet alot of people. April 9, 1865, was the first day I met Abraham Lincoln and the same day Lee surrendered to Grant. He was sooo, tall. When I say tall, i mean 6,4 tall. He had a really long beard. Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. I really like Mr. Lincoln, but he's on the Union's side. I praise him in silent, because if anyone knew, they would probably torture me. The thing i like about him was that he was dedicated and against slavery. He wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, which is to end slavery. Mr. Lincoln was the son of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, but after his mother died, his father remarried to Sarah Bush Johnson. He had a sister and three other step siblings. Lincoln is very similar to me. He loves to read and learn about working in the fields. He was a smart man. During his spare time, he studied law and became a Lawyer. From that moment on, i became interested in his life, so i continued to learn about him through people. In 1839, he met Mary Todd and married her three years later, together they had Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas over the next 11 years. As Robert surrendered to Grant, Abraham Lincoln became a hit. Although not many people liked him, because he was against slavery, he continued to support everyone. One day i heard rumors that Lincoln had been assassinated while going to see a theatre. This was the first assassination. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor. I remember Lincoln by his vital rld in preserving the Union during the Civil War. He was the beginning process of ending slavery. He was very well known by his speechess and his letters. Meeting a man like Lincoln is greatful. I had to hide my sincere admiration towards Lincoln, so that I would not be punished by Lee. I would have liked to fight for the Union under President Lincoln, but since I was ordered to fight on the Confederate's side by my owner, i had no choice. It would have been nice, because I think, since he was against slavery, he treated slaves with more equal respect. As a free slave now, I hope to still admire him and his work that he has accomplished. ENTRY NUMBER 2: Perspective on Robert E. Lee || The curiosity was just getting to me! During the war, I wandered around asking the whole army about Lee. When I was sent out to war with him, I felt the curiosity of learning about him. As days passed, no one would tell me anything about him, but then one day a man named John White said that he'll be glad to tell me about Robert. So then, during our breaks he told me to prepare and take notes. He started off by telling me that Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807 at Stratford in Westmoreland County, which belongs to the Confederate. Throughout his whole life, he contined to join his father in the family military tradition. By wanting to do that, he entered West Point in 1825 and then graduated second of his class i 1829. After battles in Georgia, Virginia, New York, Texas, and Mexico, his reputation gradually increased. As a Virginian, he became a leader on the Confederate side, although he was devoted to the Union. In April 18, 1861, he was offered a field command of the United States Army. He accepted the position as a commander of the Virginia forces. During his battle in the Civil War, I looked up to him as an insperation of succeeding. He gave me faith and hope throughout the war. Working close and for Robert was a blessing. Even though he surrendered the Civil War on April 9, 1865,against Grant, he still has my honor of courage and trust. By surrending the Civil War, he has officially ended slavery. After he died on October 12, 1870, people remember him as an educator, a soldier, and a dedicated man who lived his life with dignity. By reading this letter that Lee sent to his sister, I think that he was convinced and a little forced to be on the Confederate's side. Although he felt as if he should be on the Union's side, I don't think that he'll be able to let his family down. Since he was born in Virginia, I guess he had no choice, but to be on the Confederate's side. Robert E. Lee is a really good man and he lead to support his family, but still has faith in the Union. If he were to betray his family and follow the Union, I think that things would have been really tough for him and he wouldn't succeed in whatever he wanted to do. That is why, as a slave, fighting for a man like Robert is a wonderful thing to do. If it were to be some other leader, he might as well been a mean and hateful guy. Robert is a thoughtful man who not only thinks of himself, but also thinks of others, that is why I salute to him. ENTRY NUMBER 3: The Battle of Gettysburg  April 12, 1861, is the day I began fighting for the Confederate. The day before, James Blackerby, my plantation owner, told me I had to start fighting in the war. I don't know why, but he chose me to fight for him to keep his fortune. I was sad that I had to leave my wife and my daughter, but I had to do what the master said to do. I began to pack my things and train with the master. Milani told me not to go, but I had to. If i didn't, then our whole family would be in trouble. I couldn't let Mr. Blackerby torture my family. On April 11, 1861, the troops and I headed out towards Fort Sumter. Before that, I told my family goodbye and Laura and James that I hopefully soon will come back. I don't mind going out to war for my master, but I wished i didn't have to leave my family behind. On April 12, 1861, we the Confederate forces started to fire on the Union military post of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. That's when i realized that the Civil War had now begun. The armies started to build up and fight. It was the Union, led by Abraham Lincoln, and the Confederate, led by Robert E. Lee. The Confederates started to build up hope of victory. A crowd of people cheered for us as we walked out of the state. I lost hope, and so did many others. The Union forces has mostly won many battles in the western region, but while in the eastern region where I was at, had mostly defeated the Union. I was glad that my troops were not harmed as bad as the Union. The next day we marched towards Pennsylvania through the Eastern Edge of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and behind the mountains. Lee told the troops that our goal was to cut the Union's rail lines and maybe capture Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg. As we marched behind the mountain, we saw Union Troops, which was led by General Joe Hooker. I got very afraid, but for some reason the commander of the Union didn't do anything to us. They did not even attack us. I was glad, but then afterwards Lee told everyone that the Union had a new commander that goes by the name of General George Gordon Meade. We marched towards a town named Gettsburg. There were many different things that I have never seen before. I was fascinated. There were tanneris, many shoemakes, and many shops that made wagons and other related wood things. We calculated that there were 2,400 people lived in Gettysburg. I looked around to find that there were few slaves in the town. I was very surprised. Lee started drawing out a plan and then afterwards told everyone his plan. July 1st was the day the battle of Gettysburg began. I was nervous, but yet proud of my accomplishment that I have made before the war. Lee sent out the other Confederate soldiers and waited for the signal, but it never began because they were in lost and started to retreat. I was then very afraid. Lee then said we would go back to Gettysburg, everyone will go. We marched towards Gettysburg. We had outnumbered the Union and I was laughing because we were winning, but things changed when they retreated. The two armies headed towards Cemertry Ridge. That is where the Union had it's chance to defeat us. I was then afraid again. I guess i laughed too soon. The Unioin popped out of nowhere. Their battleground, Cemetry Ridge, Cemetry Hill, and Culp's Hill was hard to take over. I knew then we would deffinitely lose. Things didn't change though. Lee still insisted that we should stick to the plan, so we headed for the main attack, which is in Cemetry Ridge. We didn't succeed. Their forces were too strong. As days passed, everyone loosed hope in the Confederate. Some of the Confederate armies soon began to surrender. On April 9, 1865, Lee finally surrendered to Grant. I was devistated. That was then the end of the Civil War. This experience had changed my life. I experienced the different point of views of the two armies. Although we lost and the war is over, I would never forget the Civil War.
 * // **"With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword....." ** //** --Lee in a letter to his sister, April 20, 1861 **

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">1. How does one's understanding of slavery affect his understanding of the people and events of the 1850s and 1860s?
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">**-- The different point of views from many people during the 1850s and 1860s can effect alot about what they have thought one subject was. If they thought of something in another way and heard another point of view from a different person, they might reconsider and have another feeling about that subject.**

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">2. Why would slavery ever be condoned in the United States?
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">**-- Slavery can be a hard thing to forgive and forget. Even though people would want to forget the time of the slaves, they wouldn't be able to. Once learning about slavery, it might have an effect on people on how life was back then. So, I think that slavery was condoned, but never forgotten about.**

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">3. Was the Civil War the only means to end slavery in the United States?
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">**-- The Civil War was the official ending of slavery by document, but after that slave owners would try to give up their slaves one by one. So, it was a slow proccess of ending slavery.**

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==<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff;">4. What are some of the long-term effects of slavery that are linked to the people and events of the past ? == <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">**-- I think that the people back then brought with them that hatred between each other as a slave owner or a slave.**