NASHVILLE, Tenn.- A piece of Tennessee history has gone viral. A letter from a freed slave to his former owner has been making the rounds lately from Facebook to Twitter.
The letter first appeared in the Cincinnati Commercial in 1865, then again in the New York Daily Tribune a short time later. The letter is apparently a response to Jourdon Anderson's former owner, and his offer to come back to Big Spring, Tennessee, near Johnson City, and to resume work on the farm.
The letter begins: "Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten (me) and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again..."
He goes on to say that he and his wife, who was also a slave, "have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future."
In closing, he writes...
"Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me."
To read the complete letter visit Letters of Note.
