A Father's Promise

The following is a letter from Private Spotswood Rice, a formerly enslaved man serving in the Union Army during the Civil Way. His service records state he had enlisted in February 1864 and was hospitalized with chronic rheumatism on the date this letter was written.  I do not know if he recuperated enough to join the troops or succeeded in reuniting with his children.  His words of assurance to his children speak more eloquently than any  theories regarding the lack of familial bonds and to the regard of their children by enslaved men.  The spelling and punctuation were as recorded in the original document.

Benton Barracks Hospital, St Louis, Mo September 3,1864

My Children     I take my pen in hand to rite you A few lines to let you know that I have not forgot you  and that I want to see you as bad as ever now my Dear Children I want you  to be contented with whatever may be your lots be assured that I will have you if it cost me my life   on the 28th of the mounth 8 hundred White and 8  hundred blacke solders expects to start up the rivore to Glasgow and above      there thats to be jeneraled by a jeneral that will give me both of  you  when they Come I expect to be with them and expect to get you both in return. Dont be uneasy my children I expect to have you. If Diggs dont  give you up this Government will and I feel confident that I will get you  Your Miss Kaitty said that I tried to steal you   But I'll  let her know that god never intended for man to steal his own flesh and  blood  If I had no cofidence in God I could have confidence in her But as  it is If I ever had any Confidence in her I have none now and never expect to have    And I want her to remember if she meets me with ten thousand soldiers she [will?] meet her enemy   I once [ thought ] that I had  some respect for them but now my respects is worn out and have no sympathy  for Slaveholders  And as for her cristianantty I expect the Devil has Such in hell   You tell her from me that She is the frist Christian that I ever hard say that aman could Steal his own child especially out of human bondage.

You can tell her that She  can hold to you as long as she can I never would expect to ask her again to let you come to me because I know that the devil has got her hot set againsts that that is write now my Dear children I am a going to close my letter to you   Give my love to all enquiring friends tell them all that  we are well and want to see them very much and Corra and Mary receive the greater part of it you sefves and dont think hard of us not sending you any thing  I you father have a plenty for you when I see you  Spott  and Noah  sends their love to both of you    Oh! My Dear children how I do want to see you.

Spotswood Rice also see his letter to Kittey DIggs A Father's Response

Published  in  The Black Military Experience , pp. 689-90, in  Free at Last , pp. 480-82, in Families and Freedom , pp. 195-97, and in  Freedom's Soldiers , pp. 131-33

A Father's Reply

Private Spotswood Rice of the Union army,  formerly a tobacco roller and enslaved by one Benjamin Lewis, responds to a  comment he was trying to kidnap his daughter Mary from this Kittey  Diggs.

Benton Barracks Hospital, St. Louis, Mo      September 3, 1864

I received a leteter from      Cariline telling me that you say I tried to steal to plunder my child away from you now I want you to understand that mary is my Child and she is a God given rite of my own and you may hold on to hear as long as you can but  I want you to remembor this one thing that the longor you keep my Child from me the longor you will have to burn in hell and the qwicer youll get  their for we are now makeing up a bout one thoughsand blacke troops to      Come up tharough and wont to come through Glasgow and when we come wo be to      Copperhood rabbels and to the Slaveholding rebbels for we dont expect to leave them there root neor branchbut we thinke how ever that we that have      Children in the hands of you devels we will trie your [vertues?] the day   that we enter GlasgowI want you to understand kittey diggs that where  ever you and I meets we are enmays to each orthere   I offered once to pay  you forty dollers for my own Child but I am glad now that you did not accept  itJ ust hold on now as long as you can and the worse it will be for you   you never in you life befor I came down hear did you give Children any  thing not eny thing whatever not even a dollers worth of expencs   now you call my children your pro[ per ]ty    not so with me    my Children is my   own and I expect to get them and when I get ready to come after mary I will have bout a powrer and autherity to bring hear away and to exacute     vengencens on them that holds my Child   you will then know how to talke to me;  I will assure that and you will know how to talk rite too    I want you  now to just hold on to hear if you want to     iff your conchosence tells      thats the road go that road and what it will brig you to kittey diggsI      have no fears about geting mary out of your hands   this whole Government  gives chear to me and you cannot help your self.

Spotswood Rice      see also  A Father's Promise

Spotswood  Rice to Kittey diggs, [3 Sept. 1864], enclosed in F. W. Diggs to Genl.  Rosecrans,
10 Sept. 1864, D-296 1864, Letters Received, ser. 2593, Dept. of  the MO, U.S. Army Continental Commands, Record Group 393 Pt. 1, National Archives.