In 1861, the Civil War began. Slaves left to join the North almost immediately. President Lincoln, in an effort to preserve the Union, ordered the commanders to return the slaves. Twice that many returned. Soon, the army kept them and they were paid wages for the first time in their lives for the work they were doing. Blacks also served their masters in the South as bodyguards in the war. Most slaves remained at the plantation to feed and clothe the army.
Most of the slaves were not freed until after the war ended in 1865 because the Emancipation Proclamation applied only to Union-controlled states. Once the South surrendered, the slaves were free. Some slave owners relocated to Texas in an effort to hang on to their slaves as long as possible. Some.....
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