"I'm a citizen of God's country."

Sunday, July 22, 1862, south of Richmond

While Henry Chambers and Essex try their hands at repairing a bad wagon wheel, I will rest under a poplar tree and pen some few lines.

Chambers is with the Police Guard of the army provost marshal. Essex is a slave working for the army. Our wagon has developed a bad wheel and all of us have tried to make it right.

This morning, the four of us reported to Major Boyle as ordered yesterday by Lieutenant Williamson. We are ordered to Richmond. We boarded a waiting wagon with Chambers and Essex, who was our driver. There were some supplies in the wagon but nothing looked edible. We are to report to the South Carolina Warehouse to act as guards. We were relieved to know that we were not to be jailed or shot for that "raid" on the farmhouse some time ago.

Before the wagon went bust, we had a chance to talk with each other. Chambers was detailed to the Police Guard this last December. Essex and himself were ordered to take these supplies to the capital and since we were detailed there as well, to go along and save on transportation.

Essex was born a slave to a family in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. The family hired him out to the army. I have noticed that there are a fair number of slaves employed by the army as laborers. Essex said that he was sixty-eight and started to work in the tobacco fields from the time that he was ten until his back gave out. He was then a polisher until his master hired him out to the government a year ago. He has driven this wagon since.

Essex wears bits and pieces of what might be called a uniform. Lord knows where he got it. He tries to act like a soldier and we humor the old slave. Hancock asked him how he felt about things now that there's a war on. Essex said that be it peace or war, it was all the same to him. He just hoped to do his fair share for his country and die in his own bed.

Hancock was not satisfied to let the answer lie and pressed the issue. Hancock complimented Essex on being loyal to the Confederacy and its noble struggle for freedom even though he was a slave. Essex said, "Sir, I do not fight for y'alls freedom or the freedom of a country where I ain't not a citizen. If the South wins its freedom, my situation will not change. I don't know that this old slaves position would change much of any if the North wins this fight. I am not a citizen of that country neither. I fights for my own country." Castles said, "Essex, of what country are you a citizen?" Essex shot back, "I'm a citizen of God's country." It was quiet after that until we threw the wheel.