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When the war started, the number
of runaway slaves began to increase; this continued through 1864. Those in south Texas along the Mexican border were assisted by the Mexican population. Jacob Branch, a former slave, relates:
“After war started, lots of slaves ran off to get to the Yankees. All them in this part headed for the Rio Grande
River. The Mexicans rigged up flat boats out in the middle of the river,
tied stakes with rope. When the colored people got to the rope they could pull themselves across the rest of the way on those
boats.”1
During Federal occupation of Galveston runaway slaves were not
treated as contraband of war. Instead they were considered chattel who could return to their owners if they wished to continue
lives as slaves. This was illustrated in the Galveston Weekly News on October 22, 1862 “We understand that
one of our citizens, living on the Bay, and three negroes who ran away the other day by taking a boat and going to Galveston.
The owner went for them, and was told by the Federal Commander he might take them away with their consent, but not
without. They preferred to stay, and so they are lost to the owner.”2
As with other southern troops, some slaves were taken to war by their owners. Thophilus
Perry took his slave Norflet with him when he joined the CSA in 1862. Norflet would eventually serve a Col. Horace Randal
after Randal’s slave ran away. Norflet would also run away but return home several months later. Harriet Perry wrote
to Thophilus “Norflet denies running away, he says he went off to buy eggs, butter etc for Mrs. Randall and was taken
up and carried to the Federals by the Jay Hawkers…”3
Slaves in Texas were often taken away, not to fight but to work
on the protection of the Texas gulf. The CSA authorized impressments of slaves in 1863 for periods of sixty days of public
service at a rate of fifteen dollars a month. Gen. Magruder then established a Labor Bureau that impressed slaves in Texas
to construct fortifications, drive cotton wagons to the Rio Grande, and build a stockade to hold federal prisoners at Camp
Ford near Tyler. However, not all slaveholders cooperated with the man power request. In May of 1863, Lt. Col. Freemantle
wrote “…he was going with a troop of cavalry to impress one-fourth of the negroes on the plantations for the
Government works at Galveston, the planters having been backward in coming forward with their darkies.”4
Elizabeth Neblett had
other ideas “I have been thinking it would be a good plan to handcuff him [Sam, a slave] and send him to work on the
fortifications on Galveston Island….If he was fed on bread & water for a while and whiped several times it might
do him some good. If he should run away I would send after Colemen & his dogs without delay. If he ever comes to you and
tells you he will run away…send at once for Coleman & his dogs or have him taken in custody if he has to be killed
in doing so.”5
Many of the impressed
slaves did run away, it was assumed, back to their masters. This motivated Gen. Magruder to threaten slave owners that if
runaway slaves were not immediately returned, double the number would be required.
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| Former slave quarters, Harris County |
For those slaves who remained on the farms, their experiences
varied greatly. James Hayes of Shelby Co and Andrew Goodman of Smith County both stated they did not know or were never told
what the war was about. Felix Hayward of Bexar County stated “The war wasn't so great as folks suppose…The
ranch went on just like it always had before the war…Nothing was different.”6
Unfortunately, others received the brunt of their owners’
fears and frustrations during the war. Some, like Andy Anderson of Williamson County, had their food reduced. Others suffered
beatings because "Your master's out fighting and losing blood trying to save you from them Yankees, so you kin git
your'n here."7
Even with the war, the
decrease in available cash and the increasing number of slaves escaping from their masters, white Texans continued to purchase
slaves and offer rewards for the return of runaway slaves up to the last months of the war.
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