Sale 2471 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 29, 2018

We have heard from theWashingtons and their overseer concerning Gabriel Johnson’s behavior. Next is the most remarkable letter in this lot, where we hear from Johnson himself. It is possibly the only extant letter written by a slave from Bruin’s jail.Writing to John AugustineWashington on 5 August 1845, he offers his own version of the dispute. It is a remarkable piece of writing, and not just because his grammar and spelling were better than his overseer’s. Gabriel expresses regret for the incident and affection for theWashington family, but also asserts his perceived rights and pointedly does not offer an apology:“Mr. McFarland & myself had a difficulty on Saturday evening . . . which had so far resulted in my confinement in Mr. Bruin’s jail. . . .The thing commenced by his riding up to me & ordering me to get down & caught hold of my whip to strike me & I pulled it out of his hand & jumped off on the opposite side & told him that he could not whip me, as I did not think any person but my master ought to do it, or at least to authorize it. Mr. McFarland took hold of me & ordered me to cross my hands & I pulled loose & run off when him & four or five others pursued & caught me & having tied my hands, he brought me here. . . . I want you, if you please, sir, to come down & see about the matter & hope that you will be satisfied that at least I am not the only one to blame. I love you & your family . . . & would not by any means offend you if I could avoid it. I am very anxious to see you here & feel fully the painful uncertainty of my situation.” We know from other letters sold at Swann (30 March 2017, lot 30) that Bruin and Hill held onto Gabriel Johnson for at least two more weeks, and offeredWashington $565 for him, but Johnson returned to Mount Vernon.He helped manage the plantation during the war under Union control, and is listed at MountVernon in the 1880 and 1900 censuses. Johnson and his family are discussed at length in “Sarah Johnson’s Mount Vernon:The Forgotten History of an American Shrine” by Scott Casper, pages 39, 45, 54, 93-97. 10