HIST 1302 - To My Old Master (1865)

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A Confederate soldier during the American Civil War

To My Old Master

A piece of correspondence from former slave Jourdon Anderson to his former master.

Location of Anderson's plantation

Big Spring, Tennessee

Jourdon Anderson

Former slave who was freed by Union soldiers in 1864 and moved to Ohio.

How was Jourdon's response written?

It was dictated, which implies that Jourdon was illiterate.

Colonel Patrick Henry Anderson

Jourdon's former master who wrote him a desperate letter asking him to return to the plantation

Did Jourdon actually expect to get his wages back?

Most likely not. His response can be seen as a way to ridicule the colonel's hypocrisy

Principal condition set by Jourdan to return with his old master

Receiving his wages from the years he and her wife served him

Contradiction with the colonel wanting Jourdon to return

The colonel tried to shoot him down before he left the plantation and promised to shoot him the next time he saw him.

Why did Jourdon emphasize that he got his free papers in 1864?

To make it clear that he was already free, regardless of what the colonel said