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Ulrich
B. Philips, ("American negro slavery"), one of the most famous
historian of slavery in USA, found 105 death sentences of slaves for
sexual violences in Virginia only during the 80 years before
emancipation (73 rapes and 32 attempts), on white women (two free
colored excepted). Death was not the only sentence of course and the
victim "reputation" was very important like the value of the
guilty when slave.
It's
possible to find some cases during the war involving slaves or free
blacks :
- On july 1862, two slaves, Stokes Martin and "John" was
hanged in Chesterfield county (Va) for the rape of a white woman. ("Daily
express" Petersburg, 16 july 1862)
- On 24 march 1865, a slave called "Gillie" was
hanged in Petersburg prison for the rape of a white lady. (Same
newspaper, 25 march 1865)
- A slave was hanged at Saltville (Va) for rape on the
evening of 7 july 1863. "The execution was a lynching
plain and simple" wrote a confederate officer in his diary ("Giles
Buckner Cooke's diary", VHS)
-"I never heard that the writ of habeas corpus was even spoken
of, except in the case of a negro man who had attempted the
rape of a white woman whose relations were in the army. The writ was
not sued out and the negro was hanged, as he deserved to be." General
Hindman (CSA) in his report on operations in trans-Mississippi in 1862. (OR
SI vol XIII)
-"I yesterday hanged a negro man, slave of William F. Smith,
who, mistaking two of my men for the Abolitionists, hailed them across
the creek, and volunteered to conduct them to the rebel camp, so as to
surprise it; informed them of my strength and position, asked for a
gun to kill his master, and said that he would knock down and rape any
white woman." 8
april 1863, Deer Creek, Miss. , colonel Samuel S.Ferguson (CSA), (OR
SI vol XXIV pt 1)
- On 1st august 1863, "Abe", property of Mr Samuel
H. Henry, raped Mrs Creger "white citizen and respectable
Lady" of Blount county (Tennessee). "Abe" was
hanged by Union justice with Lincoln's approval.
- In 1862, after the arrival of McClellan's army in Peninsula, a
black named "Lightfoot" went to the house of a white
family. He convinced them that the general want to see all them , then
tied them to trees and raped the women. He was tried by military
court-martial and found guilty but escaped. (Calvin
Mehaffey to mother, may 11 1862, C.Mehaffey letters SCHOFF CW library)
-Alfred Locke, free man, colored, was heard by a military
commission ar Salisbury(NC). Roseann Hendrick testified that during
the night he broke down the door of Mrs Mary Sloan's house, jerked Mrs
Sloan ou of bed and beat her : "he got her chocked down and
just went to ravishing her". The court sentenced him to be
hang with Lincoln's approval but Locke escaped his execution.
On 25 may 1863, Hattie Motley, from Autauga county, Alabama, write
to CS secretary of war, James Seddon, for her fear of slaves without
white supervision. She speak about a rape committed by "a
negro brute" on the daughter of a prominent attorney which
had spread panic among the female population.
See next page for more Union black soldiers alleged as rapists...
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