Good. He hoped she felt uneasy. People like Natalie Ellis lived their lives in undeserved comfort at the expense of others less fortunate. With both his parents active in the abolitionist movement for as long as he could remember, Levi’s understanding of right and wrong where the Negro was concerned had been established at a very early age.
He would enjoy these next few minutes immensely. “I’ll get to that in a moment. Are you aware, Mrs. Ellis, that the war has ended?”
Her eyes widened. “It’s over?”
A gasp came from the hallway, though the person from whom it emitted remained out of sight.
After he and other Union troops landed in Galveston on June nineteenth, they’d been astonished at the number of Texans who hadn’t heard the news regarding the war’s end or of President Lincoln’s assassination.
“It is.” The desire to gloat over the Union’s victory lasted only a second. Too many lives had been lost on both sides to resort to schoolyard antics. “General Lee surrendered to General Grant in Virginia on April ninth.” The memory of that historic day flashed through Levi’s mind. He’d been with General Sheridan’s cavalry the last year of the war, taking part in the downfall of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. When they’d learned Lee had accepted Grant’s offer of surrender, Levi’s company rode hard to reach the house where the two generals met in order to witness the South’s final defeat.
She seemed stunned by the news. “We heard that President Lincoln had been killed, but no one said anything about the war ending.”
“President Johnson, Lincoln’s successor, has issued orders for a proclamation to be read to all Texas slave owners.” Levi removed his gloves and took the folded sheet of paper from his pocket. He’d read these same words to slave owners many times over the past week, but each time they brought a sense of satisfaction to his very soul. This was what he’d fought for. This was why men had died. He cleared his throat. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
Another gasp came from the hallway while Mrs. Ellis sat wide-eyed and silent.
Levi continued. “This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
He let the words sink in. Clearly, from the shocked expression on her face, she had not expected this. “Do you have any questions?” he asked after several long moments.
She blinked. “I …” She glanced out the window then back. “You mean to say all the slaves are free?”
“Yes.” Levi tucked the paper back into his pocket. “They have been free since President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in eighteen sixty-three. But with the same lawless attitude that drove states to secede from the Union, the South refused to acknowledge that freedom.”
“What … what happens now?”
The frightened, almost childlike tone in her voice cooled Levi’s indignation. It wasn’t this woman’s fault the South seceded and started a war. It wasn’t even her fault she’d been raised to believe slavery was a legitimate means of labor. She, like the Negroes themselves, was victim to the misguided and selfish beliefs of men who had been placed in positions of authority for far too long.
“It is now your responsibility as owner of this plantation to gather all of the slaves and inform them of their freedom.” He waited for her to meet his gaze. “Once they’ve been informed, it’s up to them whether they stay or not.”
Myriad emotions played across her face. She glanced to the doorway, then out the window, then back to Levi. “How am I supposed to manage the plantation without them?”
“As the proclamation states, you will become their employer. At least for those who choose to stay.” He tempered his tone. “Mrs. Ellis, you need to be aware that the majority of the slaves will most likely leave. Even with no place to go, freedom offers them choices they have never had before.”
“This has taken place throughout the South already? Slaves walking away from plantations, free?”
He nodded. “It has.”
After another long period of silence, she slowly rose. “Very well. Moses?” She raised her voice slightly. The large black man appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, Miz Natalie?” His stony expression hadn’t changed since Levi had first seen him on the porch.
“Is Carolina with you?”
A slender young black woman joined him, her dress similar in style to the one her mistress wore. Her rounded eyes were full of concern as she wrung her hands. “I’s here, Miz Natalie.”
“I’m sure you heard everything.” At their murmurs of affirmation, she continued, “I suppose I should have said these words to you long ago, but Papa and George ...” Tears sprang to her eyes. “Well, never mind about them. You heard what the proclamation said. You are free.”
The two slaves stood rooted to the hardwood floor, staring at their mistress.
Moses’ dark gaze flicked to Levi then back to Mrs. Ellis. “What that mean, Miz Natalie? That mean we has to leave Rose Hill?”
When she didn’t answer, Levi did. “Not unless you want to leave. It’s your decision. If you choose to stay, Mrs. Ellis will become your employer. You and she would work out the details of your employment, including wages, to your satisfaction.”
The astonishing information, Levi knew, took time to fully grasp. Both for the slave owner and for the slave. Freedom and choices were things the Negroes at Rose Hill and other plantations like it had never experienced.
“Moses, please gather
