Freedmen’s Prayers During the War
A teacher at the South, writing from Raleigh, N. C., April 1, 1867, thus reports one of his calls among the Freedmen. It shows how matters stood with them during the late rebellion: At one of my calls, the spirit of freedom moved two “aunties” to talk freely of their former life. “Oh! how different to what it used to be! On our plantation, when the war was going on, there was a great revival, and mistress called the colored people together and told them to pray—to pray mighty that the enemy may be driven back. So we prayed and prayed all over the plantation. But ’peared like de more de darkies prayed, ’de more nearer de Yankees come. Then the missus said, ‘stop all this praying, I wont have it. I believe they are praying for the enemies to come.’ So there was no more praying where mistress could hear it, for long time. Bye-and bye it began again, but then the Yankees were at the very doors, and the rebels hadn’t time to pay ’tention to our prayers.” “One day my mistress came out to me, ‘Maria, M’ria,’ said she, ‘what does you pray for?’ ‘I prays, missus that de Lord’s will may be done.’” “But you mustn’t pray that way. You must pray that our enemies may be driven back.” “But, missus, if it’s de Lord’s will dat de Yankees come, all our praying wont halt ’em, and if it is de Lord’s will to drive ’em back, den they will go back.” “O Maria, you mustn’t talk so. Don’t you know you could be shot for talking so? You don’t spose, M’ria, that any white folks will care enough about you to make you free? They are white folks, and we are white folks, and what will they care for you? They want to send you to Havany and Cuby.’ But I didn’t believe any such foolishness.” “And now I be free,” said aunt Ellen, straightening up, “I be free! It ’pears like it couldn’t be. When we used to think about it, it ’peared like de Judgment, sure to come, but a powerful step off. But now it has come—bress God!—bress God.”