Dana Vacca's Blog: Freedom Calling A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea - Posts Tagged "calling"
Freedom Calling - Celia goes to a Civil War Contraband Camp
Book: Freedom Calling - Book Highlights
Civil War Contraband Camps
Many slaves left plantations, some were freed others just fled. They headed north toward Union lines.
Bounty hunters sought out these African-Americans to bring them back to masters or to sell them to right back into slavery.
The Union decided to set up contraband camps not long after the war began. In these camps, African-Americans could be protected and live more safely, although often beyond the boundaries of the camps bounty hunters lurked ready to abduct stragglers!
One such camp was Springdale, formerly called Arlington. It was located on the confiscated estate of General Robert E. Lee. Huge numbers of African-Americans flocked to Springdale, and housing them all was difficult. Some groups were lived in the available buildings, but most had to make due with tents and lean-to's as the numbers of residents increased quickly. Springdale was just one of many such camps that were spread all across the border states, and all soon became overcrowded.
Many of the northern states set up Freedmen's societies. They shipped clothing, shoes, and food to the camp to help the newly freed slaves, as most of them arrived with only the clothing they wore on their backs. Volunteers also set up schools at the camps and held classes to teach children and adults how to read and write. They were very eager to learn! Celia volunteered as a teacher at Springdale.
GO to my FACEBOOK Book Page to see pics of a Virginia camp: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Civil War Contraband Camps
Many slaves left plantations, some were freed others just fled. They headed north toward Union lines.
Bounty hunters sought out these African-Americans to bring them back to masters or to sell them to right back into slavery.
The Union decided to set up contraband camps not long after the war began. In these camps, African-Americans could be protected and live more safely, although often beyond the boundaries of the camps bounty hunters lurked ready to abduct stragglers!
One such camp was Springdale, formerly called Arlington. It was located on the confiscated estate of General Robert E. Lee. Huge numbers of African-Americans flocked to Springdale, and housing them all was difficult. Some groups were lived in the available buildings, but most had to make due with tents and lean-to's as the numbers of residents increased quickly. Springdale was just one of many such camps that were spread all across the border states, and all soon became overcrowded.
Many of the northern states set up Freedmen's societies. They shipped clothing, shoes, and food to the camp to help the newly freed slaves, as most of them arrived with only the clothing they wore on their backs. Volunteers also set up schools at the camps and held classes to teach children and adults how to read and write. They were very eager to learn! Celia volunteered as a teacher at Springdale.
GO to my FACEBOOK Book Page to see pics of a Virginia camp: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Freedom Calling - African-American Soldiers in the Civil War
FREEDOM CALLING - Book Highlights
African-American Soldiers in the Civil War
After May 1863 many of the freed men were allowed to enlist in the Union Army and a great many of them served in the army's management of the camps.
Black leaders like Frederick Douglass encouraged African-American men to become soldiers as it would ensure their eventual US citizenship. The US government formed the Bureau of Colored Troops to organize the increasing numbers of black volunteer soldiers.
Approximately one hundred and ninety thousand black men volunteered during the course of the Civil War, and more than eighty of them became commissioned officers. Besides being soldiers many served as army carpenters, cooks, guards and chaplains. Black women also volunteered. Women were not allowed to join the army or navy, but could serve as nurses, scouts and spies.
Because of racial prejudice, even among Union soldiers, black men were not used as often in combat. But the soldiers who saw combat fought bravely and tenaciously. Sixteen had been awarded to the Medal of Honor for valor, like this soldier pictured. He is Andrew Jackson Smith, recipient of the MEDAL OF HONOR.
See Pics on my FACEBOOK BOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
BUY BOOK NOW at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Callin...
Also available as Kindle Book
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
African-American Soldiers in the Civil War
After May 1863 many of the freed men were allowed to enlist in the Union Army and a great many of them served in the army's management of the camps.
Black leaders like Frederick Douglass encouraged African-American men to become soldiers as it would ensure their eventual US citizenship. The US government formed the Bureau of Colored Troops to organize the increasing numbers of black volunteer soldiers.
Approximately one hundred and ninety thousand black men volunteered during the course of the Civil War, and more than eighty of them became commissioned officers. Besides being soldiers many served as army carpenters, cooks, guards and chaplains. Black women also volunteered. Women were not allowed to join the army or navy, but could serve as nurses, scouts and spies.
Because of racial prejudice, even among Union soldiers, black men were not used as often in combat. But the soldiers who saw combat fought bravely and tenaciously. Sixteen had been awarded to the Medal of Honor for valor, like this soldier pictured. He is Andrew Jackson Smith, recipient of the MEDAL OF HONOR.
See Pics on my FACEBOOK BOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
BUY BOOK NOW at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Callin...
Also available as Kindle Book
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Freedom Calling - Dismal Swamp Legends - BIG JAKE
FREEDOM CALLING - Book Highlights
Character - "Big Jake"
The Great Dismal Swamp on the Virginia - North Carolina border has been surrounded with legend and myth as long as anyone can remember, and the stories run the gamut from the divine to the demonic. It had once been thought to be the miraculous and elusive Fountain of Youth, as its water was very pure and thought to have healing properties. It also was thought to be the dwelling place of cannibal witches and red-eyed demons, and that hidden somewhere in its murky, wet expanse, was a portal to hell.
The earliest known legend was handed down from the Native American Nottoway and Meherrin tribes and describes how the swamp was created. The legend tells about a Great Phoenix, the firebird. Its eyes like hot coals and its fiery wings big enough to blot out the sun. It flew low to the earth and its wings set fire to the land. Where the great bird nested, a hole was burned into the ground. That deep bowl became Lake Drummond, at the center of the swamp. The area cooled, and the scorched depression that remained around the lake became the Great Dismal Swamp.
There is another tale of the Dismal originating from the early antebellum era preceding the Civil War. It is the legend of Big Jake, giant of a man who stood seven foot-two and weighed over three hundred and fifty pounds. No one knew where Big Jake came from. It is supposed that he was born in the swamp to an escaped slave who had sought refuge there. Jake worked for the logging company and lived in the swamp. He had no last name and could not read or write, but he had a heart that was bigger than he was. He most always had a smile on his face.
Jake loved three things, Jesus, cutting timber, and making wood carvings of all the creatures that dwelt in the swamp. He was a very gifted artist and his carvings were exquisite! He would spend hours whittling scrap cedar and cypress into bear, raccoons, deer, cougar and other native wildlife. He captured every nuance and detail,… including the spirit of each animal. He gave his creations to friends and neighbors. After he died, woodsmen who went into the swamp to cut timber would sometimes find a little wooden statue at the base of a tree, - placed where they would certain to see it. To this day, it is said that campers and hikers continue to find similar wooden carvings on the paths around the outer rim of the swamp.
The legend of “Big Jake” was an inspiration in the development of one of the characters in Freedom Calling.
SEE PICS on FACEBOOK BOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
BUY BOOK NOW at AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Character - "Big Jake"
The Great Dismal Swamp on the Virginia - North Carolina border has been surrounded with legend and myth as long as anyone can remember, and the stories run the gamut from the divine to the demonic. It had once been thought to be the miraculous and elusive Fountain of Youth, as its water was very pure and thought to have healing properties. It also was thought to be the dwelling place of cannibal witches and red-eyed demons, and that hidden somewhere in its murky, wet expanse, was a portal to hell.
The earliest known legend was handed down from the Native American Nottoway and Meherrin tribes and describes how the swamp was created. The legend tells about a Great Phoenix, the firebird. Its eyes like hot coals and its fiery wings big enough to blot out the sun. It flew low to the earth and its wings set fire to the land. Where the great bird nested, a hole was burned into the ground. That deep bowl became Lake Drummond, at the center of the swamp. The area cooled, and the scorched depression that remained around the lake became the Great Dismal Swamp.
There is another tale of the Dismal originating from the early antebellum era preceding the Civil War. It is the legend of Big Jake, giant of a man who stood seven foot-two and weighed over three hundred and fifty pounds. No one knew where Big Jake came from. It is supposed that he was born in the swamp to an escaped slave who had sought refuge there. Jake worked for the logging company and lived in the swamp. He had no last name and could not read or write, but he had a heart that was bigger than he was. He most always had a smile on his face.
Jake loved three things, Jesus, cutting timber, and making wood carvings of all the creatures that dwelt in the swamp. He was a very gifted artist and his carvings were exquisite! He would spend hours whittling scrap cedar and cypress into bear, raccoons, deer, cougar and other native wildlife. He captured every nuance and detail,… including the spirit of each animal. He gave his creations to friends and neighbors. After he died, woodsmen who went into the swamp to cut timber would sometimes find a little wooden statue at the base of a tree, - placed where they would certain to see it. To this day, it is said that campers and hikers continue to find similar wooden carvings on the paths around the outer rim of the swamp.
The legend of “Big Jake” was an inspiration in the development of one of the characters in Freedom Calling.
SEE PICS on FACEBOOK BOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
BUY BOOK NOW at AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Freedom Calling - Celia's Journey - Virginia
A good part of the this saga takes place in the state of Virginia, circa 1864. Virginia offers a wide array of landscape and topography. It is a very beautiful state! This clear, flowing river and beautiful cascading waterfall is just one example!
Celia traveling through Virginia, c1864, Civil War raging. Avoiding soldiers & gunfire, she seeks solace in the wilderness & hides for a day in a small cave beside this waterfall.
Celia's journey changes her, and she slowly transforms from the child-like girl into a young woman as she searches for truth, - her own truth.
BOOK LINK at AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Callin...
See PICS & MORE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Celia traveling through Virginia, c1864, Civil War raging. Avoiding soldiers & gunfire, she seeks solace in the wilderness & hides for a day in a small cave beside this waterfall.
Celia's journey changes her, and she slowly transforms from the child-like girl into a young woman as she searches for truth, - her own truth.
BOOK LINK at AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Callin...
See PICS & MORE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Freedom Calling - Celia's Journey Continues - Survival - Virginia
FREEDOM CALLING by Dana Vacca
A Storm at Sea, Sailing Ship, Steam Locomotive, Great Dismal Swamp, Battlefield - Can Celia endure ????
Celia - "I never considered myself brave, strong, or even especially very clever, but I've made it through much of my journey... because of intuition, serendipity, or maybe the hand of God? I like to think it is the latter."
See PICS HERE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
See VIDEO BOOK TRAILER: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
A Storm at Sea, Sailing Ship, Steam Locomotive, Great Dismal Swamp, Battlefield - Can Celia endure ????
Celia - "I never considered myself brave, strong, or even especially very clever, but I've made it through much of my journey... because of intuition, serendipity, or maybe the hand of God? I like to think it is the latter."
See PICS HERE: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
See VIDEO BOOK TRAILER: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
Freedom Calling - Civil War - Lee's Surrender & Lincoln's Death Only 6 Days Apart!
FREEDOM CALLING - Book Highlights
PRESIDENT LINCOLN was shot just 6 DAYS after GENERAL LEE'S surrender at Appomattox!
Did John Wilkes Booth figure to put America into chaos? Give the Confederates a chance to rally in the turmoil?
Even though Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in the morning after Lincoln's death, Johnson's ideas were not completely in alignment with those of President Lincoln.
With Lincoln dead would the whole of the Confederacy even honor Lee's surrender? Remember Lee said he was surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia. Confederate General Johnston was still down south, and still fighting!
See Pics: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
BOOK Link: https://amzn.to/2M9iPNb
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
PRESIDENT LINCOLN was shot just 6 DAYS after GENERAL LEE'S surrender at Appomattox!
Did John Wilkes Booth figure to put America into chaos? Give the Confederates a chance to rally in the turmoil?
Even though Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in the morning after Lincoln's death, Johnson's ideas were not completely in alignment with those of President Lincoln.
With Lincoln dead would the whole of the Confederacy even honor Lee's surrender? Remember Lee said he was surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia. Confederate General Johnston was still down south, and still fighting!
See Pics: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
BOOK Link: https://amzn.to/2M9iPNb
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
Freedom Calling - The Lady Grey Asea
Sailing on a tall ship is a wonderful experience. There is no feeling like it! The ship has a presence all her own, from the way her bow cuts the sea, the feel of her deck under your feet, the music of her rigging in the wind, the way she shrugs a rough sea off her beam... Some ships have a spirit, a soul, and to be aboard one like that is to know majesty.
The Lady Grey is such a ship.
Book Excerpts - The Lady Grey
"The ship pressed on towards New Bedford with all canvas up - at full sail. Close-hauled, we were making good speed. Always present, like my own breath, was the sound of the blue-violet sea whishing along the sides of the great wooden ship like liquid silk, as heeled over with the wind on her quarter, the Lady Grey softly cut her path north."
See pics on Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Book http://amzn.to/2MfiMiW
Paperback and Kindle
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
The Lady Grey is such a ship.
Book Excerpts - The Lady Grey
"The ship pressed on towards New Bedford with all canvas up - at full sail. Close-hauled, we were making good speed. Always present, like my own breath, was the sound of the blue-violet sea whishing along the sides of the great wooden ship like liquid silk, as heeled over with the wind on her quarter, the Lady Grey softly cut her path north."
See pics on Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Book http://amzn.to/2MfiMiW
Paperback and Kindle
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
Freedom Calling - FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
You can now follow FREEDOM CALLING on TWITTER!
Lots more pics and stories!
Link: https://twitter.com/CivilWarEscape
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
Lots more pics and stories!
Link: https://twitter.com/CivilWarEscape
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
Freedom Calling - Celia - Inner Journey to Truth
FREEDOM CALLING: A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea -Dana Vacca
Celia's dangerous trek to FREEDOM becomes an inner journey to truth.
When Celia escapes she is suddenly tossed into a unknown world filled with new and perilous dangers, but there is no turning back. Her faith in God and in her mother’s words are all that keep her alive. Her journey is long and laced with unforeseen hazards and snares that test her spirit and threaten her life. As the days toll past, her spirit grows stronger; it blooms with courage and fortitude she never imagined she possessed. No longer “the one who waits”, she is now “the one who acts”. She has come of age in the forest, - with purpose, with desire, with resolve. No longer does she merely react to fear, she dominates it, - She has taken up the reins to steer her life toward her own destiny,… to a better life, - a life of freedom.
Notes to Self:
There is a quote I have always handy near my desk. It is by Mark Twain: "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting in spite of it."
I often find myself striving to overcome myself,... my fears. We all have them; I don't think I am alone. But fear can be crippling, not easy to quell, - and courage so hard to muster. That little quote is a continual reminder to me that I may not always be able to erase my fears, but I can face them, and stop them from paralyzing me by learning to move forward in spite of them. It is a continual process, I know. I keep trying.
PICS: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Book https://amzn.to/2MfiMiW
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
Celia's dangerous trek to FREEDOM becomes an inner journey to truth.
When Celia escapes she is suddenly tossed into a unknown world filled with new and perilous dangers, but there is no turning back. Her faith in God and in her mother’s words are all that keep her alive. Her journey is long and laced with unforeseen hazards and snares that test her spirit and threaten her life. As the days toll past, her spirit grows stronger; it blooms with courage and fortitude she never imagined she possessed. No longer “the one who waits”, she is now “the one who acts”. She has come of age in the forest, - with purpose, with desire, with resolve. No longer does she merely react to fear, she dominates it, - She has taken up the reins to steer her life toward her own destiny,… to a better life, - a life of freedom.
Notes to Self:
There is a quote I have always handy near my desk. It is by Mark Twain: "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting in spite of it."
I often find myself striving to overcome myself,... my fears. We all have them; I don't think I am alone. But fear can be crippling, not easy to quell, - and courage so hard to muster. That little quote is a continual reminder to me that I may not always be able to erase my fears, but I can face them, and stop them from paralyzing me by learning to move forward in spite of them. It is a continual process, I know. I keep trying.
PICS: https://www.facebook.com/CivilWarHist...
Book https://amzn.to/2MfiMiW
Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea
Freedom Calling A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea
FREEDOM CALLING is a page-turner packed with action, emotion, romance and adventure - vibrantly painted with powerful characters, vivid imagery and factual details of the Civil War era.
Runaway slaves ...more
Runaway slaves ...more
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