Escape from Vicksburg - Austin COX
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Escape from Vicksburg - Austin COX
 madchia1
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Posted: 1 Jun 2002 7:00PM GMT |
Classification: Query
Surnames: COX TERRY HOLLINGSWORTH ERVIN & JERRY ? (slave)
This is a family/Civil War tale of my ggguncle, Austin COX b 25 Jun 1835 SC d 21 Dec 1904 MS, as told to my grandmother Mavis "Mimi" L ERVIN HOLLINGSWORTH by her grandmother, Austins neice, Mary Cornelia COX TERRY. It is as she wrote it exactly on 27 Sep 1961.
Escape from Vicksburg
My grandmother, Mary Cornelia COX Terry, often told stories of the Civil War when I was a mere child at her knee. The best loved, however, was of the miraculous escape of her uncle, Austin COX, during the seige of Vicksburg.
The young gentlemen of the South preferred to go to war as though they were going on a journey. Each young gentleman had his own body servant, a young negro boy who attended to his clothes and all his wants. When Austin COX answered the call to the colors, he mounted his steed, followed by his negro lackey who carried toilet articles and several changes of dress suits, etc. for his master. JERRY was the name of the colored boy, and he called his young master "Moss Oss".
Young Austin and Jerry were in many skirmishes and eventually found themselves in Vicksburg, where the boys in grey underwent great hardships. Jerry was taken from his young master by the Union Soldiers, who told him he was a "free negro" from that time on. The Union Soldiers then gave Jerry the job of watching the Southern Soldiers to see that they did not escape from Vicksburg. One thing they did not know - Jerry loved his young master, and one night Austin heard whispered words during the black of night -
"Moss Oss, Moss Oss!" cried the voice "Is you dere?"
"Who is it" asked Austin.
"It's me, Moss Oss - Jerry. When you hears de hoot owl three times, follow it!"
Of course, Austin did not know just what to do. He did not know whether he was going to run into a trap or just what - but he decided he could take no more of eating rats for food. He was so tired and hungry that death no longer scared him. So, he followed the hoot owls, and sure enough, Jerry sneaked him through the heavily guarded city and out to safety.
Austin travelled at night and slept by day until he could return to his Company. He survived the Civil War and lived to be an old man, thanks to the love of a former negro slave named Jerry.
I can't help but wonder who Jerry was, and thought this may be of interest to others.
Pat
Escape from Vicksburg
My grandmother, Mary Cornelia COX Terry, often told stories of the Civil War when I was a mere child at her knee. The best loved, however, was of the miraculous escape of her uncle, Austin COX, during the seige of Vicksburg.
The young gentlemen of the South preferred to go to war as though they were going on a journey. Each young gentleman had his own body servant, a young negro boy who attended to his clothes and all his wants. When Austin COX answered the call to the colors, he mounted his steed, followed by his negro lackey who carried toilet articles and several changes of dress suits, etc. for his master. JERRY was the name of the colored boy, and he called his young master "Moss Oss".
Young Austin and Jerry were in many skirmishes and eventually found themselves in Vicksburg, where the boys in grey underwent great hardships. Jerry was taken from his young master by the Union Soldiers, who told him he was a "free negro" from that time on. The Union Soldiers then gave Jerry the job of watching the Southern Soldiers to see that they did not escape from Vicksburg. One thing they did not know - Jerry loved his young master, and one night Austin heard whispered words during the black of night -
"Moss Oss, Moss Oss!" cried the voice "Is you dere?"
"Who is it" asked Austin.
"It's me, Moss Oss - Jerry. When you hears de hoot owl three times, follow it!"
Of course, Austin did not know just what to do. He did not know whether he was going to run into a trap or just what - but he decided he could take no more of eating rats for food. He was so tired and hungry that death no longer scared him. So, he followed the hoot owls, and sure enough, Jerry sneaked him through the heavily guarded city and out to safety.
Austin travelled at night and slept by day until he could return to his Company. He survived the Civil War and lived to be an old man, thanks to the love of a former negro slave named Jerry.
I can't help but wonder who Jerry was, and thought this may be of interest to others.
Pat