Interview with Mr John W. Fields, ex-slave of civil war period. 1937

One of twelve children born into slavery, John W. Fields was sold when his master died and all twelve children were split up from their family to settle his estate. He was six years old and from then on he only saw his mother for one night a year. "my life prior to that time was filled with heartache and dispair". The slaves longed for education but teaching a ''negro slave" was a punishable crime, "our ignorance was the greatest hold the South had on us".  Even when the civil war broke out many slaves did not know that they were free after the emancipation act of 1863; Field's did not realise he himself was free until  1864.

Punishment as a slave was a constant, "one of the women slaves had been very sick and she was unable to work just as fast as he thought she ought to. He had driven her all day with no results. That night after completing our work he called us all together. He made me hold a light, while he whipped her and then made one of the slaves pour salt water on her bleeding back back. My innerds turn yet at that sight".