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| A Father's Promise | ||||||||||||||||||
| The following is a letter from Private Spotswood Rice, a formerly enslaved man serving in the Union Army during the Civil Way. His service records state he had enlisted in February 1864 and was hospitalized with chronic rheumatism on the date this letter was written. I do not know if he recuperated enough to join the troops or succeeded in reuniting with his children. His words of assurance to his children speak more eloquently than any theories regarding the lack of familial bonds and to the regard of their children by enslaved men. The spelling and punctuation were as recorded in the original document. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Benton Barracks Hospital, St. Louis, Mo. September 3, 1864 | ||||||||||||||||||
| My Children I take my pen in hand to rite you A few lines to let you know that I have not forgot you and that I want to see you as bad as ever now my Dear Children I want you to be contented with whatever may be your lots be assured that I will have you if it cost me my life on the 28th of the mounth 8 hundred White and 8 hundred blacke solders expects to start up the rivore to Glasgow and above there thats to be jeneraled by a jeneral that will give me both of you when they Come I expect to be with them and expect to get you both in return. Dont be uneasy my children I expect to have you. If Diggs dont give you up this Government will and I feel confident that I will get you Your Miss Kaitty said that I tried to steal you But I'll let her know that god never intended for man to steal his own flesh and blood If I had no cofidence in God I could have confidence in her But as it is If I ever had any Confidence in her I have none now and never expect to have And I want her to remember if she meets me with ten thousand soldiers she [will?] meet her enemy I once [thought] that I had some respect for them but now my respects is worn out and have no sympathy for Slaveholders And as for her cristianantty I expect the Devil has Such in hell You tell her from me that She is the frist Christian that I ever hard say that aman could Steal his own child especially out of human bondage | ||||||||||||||||||
| You can tell her that She can hold to you as long as she can I never would expect to ask her again to let you come to me because I know that the devil has got her hot set againsts that that is write now my Dear children I am a going to close my letter to you Give my love to all enquiring friends tell them all that we are well and want to see them very much and Corra and Mary receive the greater part of it you sefves and dont think hard of us not sending you any thing I you father have a plenty for you when I see you Spott and Noah sends their love to both of you Oh! My Dear children how I do want to see you | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spotswood Rice also see his letter to Kittey DIggs A Father's Response | ||||||||||||||||||
| Published in The Black Military Experience, pp. 689-90, in Free at Last, pp. 480-82, in Families and Freedom, pp. 195-97, and in Freedom's Soldiers, pp. 131-33. | ||||||||||||||||||
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