Searching for Freedom

The Nat Turner Revolt

K. Essence

• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781645848103
• eBook ISBN: 9781645848110
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African American History
• Index: History

Searching for Freedom: The Nat Turner Revolt is a story about a young African boy who had matured into a man being considered a fugitive of American law. The information provided in this story is for the readers of this story to think about Nat Turner more as a person instead of a fugitive of the law or a degraded slave. Many of the books published about Nat Turner have a lack of information regarding Nat Turner's real life, the people of the town of South Hampton, and the federal government of the United States when it was just considered the government of the North American continent. A few of the political figures mentioned in this book such as Sir James Monroe, Sir John Tyler, and Sir Andrew Jackson were used to bring more life to the story to explain to the readers how things were going based on government planning and how life was for the people living in the early 1800s. Nat Turner's true life story is meant to be known by not just the African American nationality but by all the world's nationalities because of what Nat Turner stood for during his life. Nat Turner was against the enslavement of black Africans as well as the enslavement of other nationalities. He believed that all men have the right to be independent to raise their own families and to choose their own paths. This story also explains how Nat Turner had found love and the new associations that he had made after he had escaped from his slave owner's residence. Nat Turner had freed many enslaved blacks, and he and his men had made new families after they had broken free from the custody of their slave owners. Benjamin Turner, Nat Turner's slave owner, had traveled from place to place looking for Nat Turner for several years until Nat Turner was found. Nat Turner had visited quite a few places during his lifetime, and he had also made several children with a few different women. Nat Turner had done a lot during his life compared to the enslaved blacks, and he was still a very young man when he was killed. Nat Turner had become a legend behind the moves that he had chosen to make, and he had made two very close friends who were considered his brothers who had escaped from their slave owner's residence with Nat. Nat was a great leader, and some people even considered him to be a king behind the way that he had taken a stand for himself and for his people to be free.

Chapter 4

Pirates on the prowl

A few hours had passed since the men had made their way back to the camp to have the slaves written in on the Slave Catchers’ Board Slave Log while Tallimu and his men had taken turns visiting their families in their village. It had taken the men about 3 hours to get the slaves moved between the two slave worker stations of the camp after the number of the new slaves was added to the slave log. The slave catchers also had to take turns escorting the slaves from their designated areas of the camp to use the restroom in dirty gray and white buckets that were a quarter of the way filled with water. The slave catchers had to escort the slaves 10 at a time to use the restroom in these buckets that were set out in rows of ten, that had later became rows of twenty. Each group of slaves that were escorted to the rest room was told to make sure that they had used the restroom. This was because the slave catchers didn’t want them having any accidents on themselves while they had sat or slept in their designated slave worker station holding areas. The slaves had to walk in groups of 10 to use the restroom and each slave had to stand in front of one of the buckets that were set out for them to use. The enslaved Africans had walked to these areas of the slave camp with their wrists cuffed together and their ankles were also cuffed together as well. The groups of 10 slaves were monitored by four men; and each of the men, who had monitored the slaves using the restroom, had stood around them holding their rifles. When each slave had stood in front of the bucket that he or she were going to use; the slave catchers had uncuffed their wrists, but they had left both cuffs locked on the arm that they didn’t use to wipe themselves. All of the slaves had used the restroom this way one group after the next. They had all wiped themselves with their freehand with wet soapy pieces of cloth that were given to them by the slave catchers. When the slaves were done using the restroom, they were escorted to an area no more than 15 paces away to where a few buckets of water had sat on a table. These buckets had sat on a table with some soap for them to wash out the cloths that they had used to wipe themselves. After the slaves had cleaned the cloths that they had used to wipe themselves, their free hands were re-cuffed. They were then escorted back to the slave worker station areas, where they had been stationed waiting to board the ships on the water. When the slave catchers had taken the slaves to use the restroom, it had taken them about an hour to an hour and a half to do so. This had depended on the size of the group of the slaves who the slave catchers had to take to use the restroom. The larger groups had taken a few hours for every slave to use the restroom walking to the restroom area from their designated areas. During these restroom breaks; sometimes different children, the women or the men had accidents that had to be cleaned when they had reached the buckets. This was just the beginning of experiencing some uncomfortable situations for the black Africans who were becoming slaves to live under what was intended to be a permanent slave order.

After the sun had set in the sky, Tallimu and his main men had made their way back to the slave camp on Komsci Beach. He and his men had to check in with Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton at the Slave Catchers tent in the middle of the camp. When Tallimu and his men had made their way to the camp, Tallimu was commended on the crown that he had on his head and the matching belt that he had on his waist that he had stolen from Mortizi. Teewe, Rhenaw, Cleanne, Vigil, Garthon and Banku had walked into the Slave Catchers’ tent with Tallimu because Tallimu was going to get their first payment from Mr. Ellison and the other European men for their services. When Tallimu and his men had walked into the Slave Catchers’ tent, Mr. Carton and Mr. Ellison had told them that they were expecting them. They had also told them that they had thought that they would have come to their tent sooner.

“Well my men and I had some things that we had to attend to at our village with our families, and we were pleased to tell them that we had gotten much work done today.” We had shown them many of the other things that we had collected from the villages that we had conquered! I see… well; there was no rush for you and your men to hurry back, we still have plenty of work that needs to be done tomorrow because we are still short by 3,000 people. Well that is not a problem because there’s still a bunch of different areas that need to be covered, me and my men are more than willing to take you all to them. We know that there are still plenty of areas to be covered, but we don’t want to be around here too long looking for slave workers because we don’t want to take too long to get them on the ships. After we pay you and your men, we can start our journeys to the Americas. “I see… well you told me that we have about a week to get this job done and only one day has passed!” Yeah we know only one day has passed, but we want this to be over within the next six days. That is not a problem… I assure you that me and my men will have the work done and you and your men will have all of the people that you all need.

Tallimu was eager to ensure that he and his men would comply with their side of the deal. Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton didn’t disbelieve when they had told the two of them that they would comply. Mr. Carton and Mr. Ellison had just wanted to make sure that Tallimu and his men knew that they needed to get the job done as soon as possible. Mr. Carton and Mr. Ellison didn’t want to rest around the area for too long. The two of them didn’t want other slave ships interfering with their business and the agreement between them and their men and Tallimu’s tribe. The two European men didn’t want to tell the native African tribe this information because they didn’t want them to tell them no deal. They didn’t want any other slave ships making things difficult for them to get their work done based on the agreement that had already been made between them and Tallimu’s men. Anyhow, Mr. Ellison had told Tallimu and his men that he and Mr. Carton were going to send Mr. Turner, Mr. Sully, Mr. Grenwald and Mr. Archery to the ship to fetch the supplies that they said that they were going to give them as partial payment for their services. Tallimu and his men were delighted and couldn’t wait to get their hands on some more alcohol and the knives that they had been shown. They had also told Mr. Ellison to make sure that Mr. Turner and the other men had brought them some of the boat motors so they could test them out on their boats during the rest of the slave hunts. Mr. Ellison said that he would have them bring some when he called them into the Slave Catchers’ tent to speak with them about it. Shortly after the conversation between Tallimu and the two European men had ended, Tallimu and his men had gone to meet with their other men across the way on the other side of the slave camp. Mr. Ellison had called Mr. Turner and the other three men that he had mentioned to Tallimu into the Slave Catchers’ Board tent to speak with them about the partial payment that the native African men were waiting to receive from them. When Mr. Turner and the other three men had walked into the Slave Catchers’ Board tent to speak with Mr. Ellison, Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton had explained to them what they had needed them to do.

“What’s the word Mr. Ellison, me and my men are anxious to hear it!” We need you and your two men accompanied by Mr. Archery to take two boats to the Brookes ship to pick up some of the supplies for them to be given to the native Africans as partial payment for their services. Well that’s no problem… me and my men can handle that and I don’t mine Mr. Archery coming along. What are we supposed to get them from the supply room? “Well I want you to bring them about 30 guns with ammunition, 40 boat motors, and 100 knives.” I also want you to bring them 100 pairs of pants, 100 collared shirts, 100 pairs of shoes and 100 dresses. Okay it sounds good is that all? Yes that is all. Are you sure Mr. Ellison what about the alcohol? They should still have plenty of that and that will be the last thing that we give them before we get set to sail off. Oh okay… I see so are we going to give them some gas for the motors or what? Of course we are why would you ask me that? “Well you didn’t say how many cans we should bring with the motors!” Hay keep your voice down there is no need to get upset! Your right Mr. Archery my mistake for not making it clear, just bring about 20 gas cans with the boat motors because we don’t want to really give them too many of those. Okay now that’s what I’m talking about and if that is all we can go and get that stuff right now. Yes we do want you men to go and get those items for them right now because they are waiting on them. You men make sure to keep your eyes open around here to alert us if you hear or see anymore slave catchers coming around here. We need you all to do this so we can stop them to make sure that we get what we came for so that we can leave on time. No problem Mr. Carton we’ll do that and we’ll see the two of you when we get back. “Thank you men and Mr. Sully don’t get knocked out again!” I want Mr. Carton!

When this conversation had ended Mr. Turner, Mr. Sully, Mr. Grenwald and Mr. Archery had walked out of the Slave Catchers’ Board tent to load up on two boats to travel to the Brookes ship. This ship was still sitting out on the water next to the Whydah Gally and the Mercer merchant ship. While the four men were on their way to the Brookes ship; Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton had called in four more men into the Slave Catchers’ Board tent and the names of the men were Mr. Willie, Mr. Crocker, Mr. Belvedere and Mr. Frederick. Mr. Willie was the captain of the Mercer ship and Mr. Crocker was one of his associates who had helped him man his ship. Mr. Belvedere was the captain of the Whydah Gally and he was assisted by Mr. Frederick when it came to manning their ship’s crew. When Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton had called these four men into their tent, they had explained to the four men that they were going to have to put in the supplies needed to pay the native Africans for helping them catch the slaves who were going to be loaded on their ships. Mr. Frederick had asked Mr. Ellison what they recommended that he and Mr. Belvedere bring from the Whydah Gally to be considered payment to the native Africans. Mr. Ellison had told them to bring supplies such as weapons; matches or lighters, clothing, shoes and alcohol or whatever they thought the Africans would accept based on the items that he had mentioned to them. Mr. Frederick had told Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton that the items that were mentioned wouldn’t be a problem for them to bring to the camp to give to the native African slave catchers. He had also said that he believed that the native Africans would fall in love with the arrow guns that they had aside from the extra musket guns. Mr. Ellison was overjoyed because he knew that they had enough items that the native Africans would accept from them as payment for their services. Mr. Carton had also told Mr. Willie and Mr. Belvedere to tell their men to be on the lookout for any other slave catchers who may be coming towards their camp. They had told these men this so they could turn them away so that the other slave catchers looking for slaves didn’t interfere with the agreement that they had already made with Tallimu and his men. Mr. Willie; Mr. Belvedere and their men had understood what Mr. Carton was saying to them about the other slave catchers intruding in their affairs. They had assured him that they would let their men know what to do if they did see any other groups of slave catchers getting too close to their camp. Mr. Ellison had told the four men who were the heads of the two other ships that rested out on the water next to their ship, that they wanted the slave hunting to be done within the next 6 days. This was a deadline given so that they could get the slaves boarded on the three ships to start their journeys to the Americas as soon as possible. The four men from the two other ships had agreed. Mr. Carton had then told them that he would tell the other men the following morning during assembly that they needed to be quick reaching their numbers so that they weren’t sitting around the camp that they had setup for too long. Mr. Carton had then asked Mr. Ellison did he have anything else to say to the men, before Mr. Ellison had told him no. Mr. Carton had then told the men that he would speak with them again the following day.

After Mr. Belvedere; Mr. Willie, Mr. Frederick and Mr. Crocker had exited the Slave Catchers’ Board tent, nearly an hour had passed. Around this time; Mr. Turner and the other three men who had gone with him to get supplies off of the Brookes ship, were on their way back to the slave camp stationed on Komsci Beach. It had only taken Mr. Turner and the other men a few minutes to reach the ships on the water in the small longboats that they had used that were slightly larger than canoes. They had used these boats to travel on the water to the ship but it had taken them a little longer than they expected to lower the goods that they had collected from their supply room onto the two boats that were on the water. These small longboats that were on the water, were sitting along the side of the large ship. It had taken Mr. Turner and the other three men about 45 minutes to load the boats on the water with the goods for the native Africans before the other two men had climbed down the rope ladder. Once they had climbed down the rope ladder to get into the boats, they had started traveling back to the camp on the beach. Anyhow; it had taken Mr. Turner, Mr. Sully, Mr. Grenwald and Mr. Archery a few minutes to reach the camp coming from the Brookes slave ship. Tallimu and his men had immediately noticed them traveling back to the camp on the water and they were anxious to get their hands on the goods that were promised to them from the European men. When Mr. Turner and the other three men had made their way back to the slave camp, the men who stayed at the camp had their campfires going in their designated areas of the camp because the sun had already gone down. As Mr. Turner and the other three men struggled to pull the boats out of the water, they heard many of the men talking in different groups spread out around the camp. There were quite a few men sitting around the campfire that they had setup in the middle of the camp. These men were sitting on the cut logs that they had sitting around the fire. Mr. Turner had stayed with Mr. Archery and Mr. Grenwald. They were all standing around the goods that they had in the boats, while Mr. Sully had gone to bring Tallimu and his men over to the boats sitting at the edge of the beach. Mr. Sully had also called Mr. Carton, Sir James Madison, Sir Thomas Jefferson and Mr. Ellison so that they could see Tallimu and his men pick up the supplies that had been requested to be brought to them. When Mr. Ellison; Sir James Madison, Sir Thomas Jefferson and Mr. Carton heard Mr. Sully calling them, Mr. Madison had stayed in the Slave Catchers’ Board tent. The other three men had immediately walked outside of their tent to make their way down to the boats filled with the goods that they had requested. When Tallimu and his men had gathered around the boats with their goods inside of them, Mr. Ellison and Mr. Carton had made sure that Mr. Turner had picked up everything that he was supposed to get from the supply room on their ship. As soon as Mr. Ellison had checked off everything that was on their list, Mr. Carton had told Tallimu and his men that they could take the goods to their village. After Tallimu and his men had finished unloading the boats, Mr. Turner and his men had finished pulling the boats out of the water so that they could be lined up with the rest of the boats that were lying in rows across the lower bottom part of the beach. Tallimu had told Teewe, Vigil, Kentu, Ghonzu, Bangku and Cleanne along with a few of their other tribe members to help them transport their goods to their village. He had told them when they had transported the goods to their village, to place them with the other goods that they had been collecting. He had also told Teewe and Bangku to tell the rest of their tribe members to leave the goods alone until they had sorted through them after their slave hunting job had ended.

Teewe and Bangku had told Tallimu that they would tell their other tribe members what he had told them to tell them and that when they had dropped the goods off and secured them, that they would make their way back to the camp to take turns with the night watch until daybreak. The Ewa tribe members that Tallimu had told to grab the goods to take them to their village, had started picking up the goods and carrying them to their village. It had taken about 150 men to complete this task with ease. Tallimu was told by Mr. Carton that they would be paid again in a couple of days and that they would give him and his men their last payment when their hunts for the slave workers had ended. He had told them that they would be paid when the Europeans had gotten ready to start loading their ships with the slave workers. Tallimu and his men had agreed and they had told Mr. Carton that how he and the other men had planned to pay them was okay. After this conversation had ended, Mr. Carton and Mr. Ellison had gone back into the Slave Catchers’ Board tent to update their notes about enslaving the portion of the African natives who were already in their possession. Tallimu and his men had made their way over to the trees where their hammocks were hanging so that they could take turns watching the camp where they rested just as the European men had done. Mr. Turner, Mr. Sully, Mr. Grenwald and Mr. Archery had pulled the two boats that they had used out of the water before they had lined them up with the rest of the boats that were lying in rows across the beach in front of the camp. These boats were waiting to be used the next morning. As soon as the four of them were done moving the two boats that they had used to travel to the Brookes ship, Mr. Turner had gone into the Slave Catchers’ Board tent while Mr. Sully and the other two men had gone to their tents to turn in for the night. The crowd of men sitting around the main fire in the middle of the camp had rotated periodically. This had occurred when some of the men had gotten tired while others had wanted to get out of their sleeping bags to sit in front of the warm fire under the night sky. Some of the men had sat a distance away from the fire to feel the slight breeze of the cool night air while they were sitting outside of their tents. The men who had sat talking around the campfires had talked about how easy it was getting for them to go on the slave hunts to catch the native Africans who they were targeting to make them slave workers. Tallimu and his men couldn’t really hear them talking while they were sitting around the campfires because the European men had already known to keep their talking low.

Anyhow; as time had passed, it had gotten later into the night. The campfires were all burning very low and the slaves were sleeping on the covers laid out for them in the sand. They were all covered with the extra covers that the European men had brought out for them. Anyhow, most of the men at the camp were asleep. The men who weren’t asleep were a part of the night watch crew, who had sat on the wood logs that some of the men had cut and brought to the camp. Some of the men were sitting on the wood logs while others had sat in the chairs that they had brought from their ships. While some of the men had conversed with one another, the sounds of crickets could be heard in the grass by the trees next to the sounds of the ocean waves brushing up on the lower part of the beach. During that night; Tallimu and his men along with a number of the European men, had to swat their necks and arms to try to kill the mosquitoes biting them. Teewe and Rhenaw had told Tallimu that the mosquitoes were the reason that they didn’t like sleeping outside because the insects liked to bite up their arms and legs. Tharinn had asked Tallimu what area he was planning to cover when the sun had risen. Tallimu had then told him and a few of his other men who were awake at the time, that he was going to lead the European men up the Volta River to capture some of the native tribes who were stationed along the waterway. Teewe had then asked Tallimu what villages was he planning on having them raid when they had made their way eastward to start traveling up the Volta River. Tallimu had then told him that he wasn’t sure just yet. Tharinn had told him that they could take them to the Village of Big Afa and then Rhenaw had told him no because he thought that they should go to a village called Agotaga. Rhenaw had told Tallimu that he and Sarcrat had traveled that way before with Cleanne and Vigil just to see who was around the area. Tallimu had told Rhenaw that he was familiar with the area and that he had thought that the village of Agotaga would be a good area to cover. He had thought this because there should have been a large population of natives there. Tallimu had known that the more people that they had caught in the same area, the sooner that the hunts for the slaves would end. Teewe had then asked Tallimu was he still planning to take the European men to the Dobie area so they could enslave his younger brother Tallema and the former members of their tribe who they had driven away through war. Tallimu had told Teewe that he wanted the area where his brother had traveled to be the last area that they had covered before the slave hunts were ended. Teewe; Tharinn and Rhenaw had agreed with Tallimu that the area where Tallema and the former members of their tribe had traveled would be the last area that they had covered. They had also wanted the area to be covered a day ahead of schedule. This was so that they could wrap things up at the slave camp on the beach so all the slaves could be placed on the three slave ships that were waiting on the water.

After Tallimu and his men had switched off with the next night watch crew, a little more than a few hours had gone passed before the sun had begun to rise in the east. Most of the men were still sleeping because it was still very early in the morning around this time. Bangku, Kentu, Riccon and Garthon were the men who had the final night watch of the night and they were overjoyed when the sun had rose for them to begin another day of slave hunting with the Spanish, the English, the French, the Irish, the Portuguese and the Italian men who were from Europe. The four members of the Ewa tribe; who had the last watch of the night, had seen quite a few of the European men walking over to the bucket areas. This was where the slaves were taken to use the restroom so that they could relieve their urine. Bangku and Garthon had watched them walk over to the bucket areas to urinate and then after the men had finished, Bangku and the rest of the night watch crew had taken turns walking over to one of the bucket areas as well so that they could urinate. When the four tribe members had finished using the restroom, they had waited for about an hour before they had awakened a few more of their men to go fishing with them on the water for breakfast. When the other men that they had awakened had gotten out of their hammock...

Table of contents

• The African Tribes
• European Slave Ships
• Civilians at war
• Pirates on the prowl
• Enslavement
• Auction at the Slave Camp
• Slaves in the Cargo Holds
• Examinations on the water
• First stop in the Americas
• Beyond the Ports of Hampton
• Masters and their slaves
• This new land
• Ground rules of slavery
• The Revolt
• Nat Turner’s Gang
• Civil Unrest
• Traveling from State to State
• Alabama Bay Port
• Searching for Freedom
• Havana Island
• Ships set to sail
• The Dock of Luanda
• Food and Supplies
• Voyage to Cape Town
• Village Trades
• The U.S. Marshals
• Arrested Fugitives
• Slave Life in South Hampton County
• The Nat Turner Trial
• Nat Turner’s Execution
• Towns filled with slaves
• The Rage of the American Civil War