In studying the history of the Raleigh Civil War fortifications, I’ve made it a key focus of research to identify and tell the stories of some of the free and enslaved Black workers who were impressed by the secessionist State of North Carolina to do the labor on the eight-mile circle of earthworks. State governments during the war commonly compelled Black and Native American men to undertake military construction work.

The North Carolina State Archives holds a set of payroll records that give the first names of about 300 Black workers, along with enslavers if applicable, their counties of residence, and other details. The “Remarks” columns of the forms show that five workers took the opportunity of the assignment to self-emancipate.

Besides the evidence of escapes from the payroll records, I recently received from Ernest Dollar, director of the City of Raleigh Museum, a legal document showing that an enslaved man named Dave escaped from the Raleigh fortifications in July 1863, as claimed by his enslaver, William A. Blount Jr. I will get to that document shortly, but I wanted to set out the evidence from the payroll records first.

Evidence From State Payroll Records

Here’s an image of a payroll sheet for Randolph County, showing that two workers ran away from the Raleigh construction crew during the July to October project period:

In general, these payroll sheets are of particular interest for the contribution they might make to researchers of African American family history. The information that some laborers self-emancipated seems additionally interesting, in that these men might have intended to escape to the free areas of North Carolina under Union control, where they could have joined freedpersons’ communities forming in places like New Bern. These men’s ages could have made them good candidates for recruitment into the United States Colored Troops (USCT) units being formed,

The payroll forms in the NC Archives yield the names of five men who escaped from enslavement from the Raleigh fortifications:

• Daniel, enslaved worker of C.L. Torrens of Mecklenburg County. Disappeared on 12 Sept. 1863, after working 17 days.
• Lee, enslaved worker of J.N. Ross of Mecklenburg County. Disappeared on 12 Sept. 1863, after working 17 days.
• Osborne, enslaved worker of R.A. Palmer of Randolph County. Disappeared on 19 Sept. 1863, after working 15 days.
• Edward, enslaved worker of A.G. Foster of Randolph County. Disappeared on 9 Oct. 1863, after working 26 days.
• Goodson, enslaved worker of M.M. McKenzie of Rowan County. Disappeared on 19 Sept. 1863, after working 22 days.

It appears from these records that Daniel and Lee escaped together on 12 Sept.; and Osborne, David, and Goodson together on 19 Sept.

Dave’s Self-Emancipation From William Blount

On 17 July 1863, a worker named Dave escaped from a Raleigh fortifications work crew, and apparently made it successfully to Union-occupied territory in Eastern North Carolina. Dave’s self-emancipation is documented in a $2,500 bond executed by William A. Blount Jr. on 26 Oct. 1863. The State of North Carolina apparently paid Blount for the loss of Dave, stating:

The condition of the above bond is such that where as the State of North Carolina hath on said day paid to said WA Blount Jr the above cited amount in satisfaction for a slave Dave taken under the authority of the State to work upon the Fortifications around Raleigh in progress during July 1863. Said Dave having escaped from the agents … in charge of said work upon the 17th of July 1863, and its being alleged by said WA Blount Jr upon proof offered to this Auditor that he had escaped to the Enemy in the Eastern part of the State in …

Blount had made efforts to recapture Dave, including offering a $100 reward, but had been unsuccessful. This was not the first time Dave had made an effort to escape enslavement, according to the bond:

This affiant further states upon oath that said slave made an attempt a year ago to make his escape to the enemy in the eastern section of the State (as he was at the time audibly informed + now believes) + this affiant has reason to believe said slave is now in the hands of the enemy, by his voluntary act.

Below, I will provide access to a copy of this document, along with a transcription. However, first I want to mention a second document that has come to light. Historian David Bright, author of Locomotives Up the Turnpike, located a second document about William Blount’s difficulties keeping people in bondage. This was an affidavit claiming that five men had escaped from him on 1 Jan. 1863, one of whom was named Dave. This lines up with Blount’s assertion in the October 1863 bond document that Dave had ‘made an escape attempt’ a year earlier. It appears that Blount had been successful at recapturing Dave and keeping him enslaved until the later escape at Raleigh in July. The January 1863 document is included in William A. Blount’s civilian Compiled Service Record, findable through Fold3.

Following is a gallery image of the William A. Blount indemnifying bond from 26 Oct. 1863. You should be able to click on any one of these images to inspect it and to scroll through the various pages. (A tip: When you examine any of these images, if you click on the “Information” icon, i.e., the letter “i” inside a circle, it will allow you to see the document at full size.)

This handwritten document is difficult to read, so I got some colleagues to help me transcribe it. Here is that transcription below. (Many thanks to Mara Elliott, David Bright, Marty Farrar-Pickett, Nathan Stuart, and Laura Elliott for their help!)

	[Outside]
1	Maj[?] WA Blount’s
2	Indemnifying bond
	[First page – appears to be a legal document having to do with financial obligations for the loss of Blount’s enslaved worker]
3	The undersigned William A. Blount Junior here
4	by obliging himself to pay to the State of North Carolina
5	the sum of Two Thousand and Five Hundred Dollars
6	in Confederation
7	notes or their equivalent at said date, and witnessed by
8	hand and seal upon this 26th day of Oct. 1863
9	The condition of the above bond is such that where
10	as the State of North Carolina hath on said day paid
11	to said WA Blount Jr the above cited amount in
12	satisfaction for a slave Dave taken under the authority
13	of the State to work upon the Fortifications around Raleigh
14	in progress during July 1863. Said Dave having escaped from
15	the agents [?] in charge of said work upon the 17th of July
16	1863, and its being alleged by said WA Blount Jr upon proof
17	offered to this Auditor that he had escaped to the Enemy in
18	the Eastern part of the State in [?] Therefore if it shall have
19	after appeared that the loss of said slave has arisen from
20	any other cause than those enumerated in the Acts of Assembly
21	of this State 1862-3 Ch. 16 (Ratified 20th Dec 1862) or if
22	said slave shall hereafter come into the possession of said
23	WA Blount then the above obligation shall be in force
24	otherwise it shall be null and void.
25	Executed in presence
26	of S.F. Philips Auditor
27	as preliminary to the
28	payment above mentioned
29	26th Oct. 1863
30	S.F. Philips
31	WA Blount Jr [?]
	[2nd Page]
32	State of North Carolina
33	County of Wake
34	Wm A. Blount Jr
35	maketh oath that his slave Dave who had
36	been employed on the breast-works around
37	the City of Raleigh, ran away on the 17th of
38	July last + has not been since seen or
39	heard from by this affiant. Said slave
40	has been advertised for in two news papers
41	of the City of Raleigh, as will appear from
42	the annexed clips, + this affiant has also
43	offered a reward of $100 privately to persons
44	dwelling in the said City of Raleigh + in Kinston,
45	+ has sent a special messenger to the army
46	in Va to make enquiries about said slave –
47	– upon a rumor that a slave supposed to be
48	said slave had been seen with the army + which rumor has proven to be untrue
49	This affiant further states upon oath that
50	said slave made an attempt a year ago to
51	make his escape to the enemy in the
52	eastern section of the State (as he was at the
53	time audibly informed + now believes) + this
54	affiant has reason to believe said slave
55	is now in the hands of the enemy, by his
56	voluntary act.
57	Wm A Blount Jr.
58	Mr Blount adds that he himself is a refugee
59	from Beaufort County who has been residing in Raleigh
60	for two years + that the slave in question has spent
61	most of his life (being born in Carteret County) in Lenoir County until
62	May 1862 since which time he has been with affiant + was in the
63	army of C.S. and in Raleigh.
64	Sworn before me 5th Oct 1863 S.F. Philips
	[At the bottom of this page are glued two newspaper ads offering a reward for capturing the escaped man]
65	[Newspaper ads here]
	[3rd page – appears to be notary certification of a further statement by Blount]
66	[?] of Wake[?]
67	WA Blount adds to this written
68	affidavit that he was never ap
69	-prized of the escape of his slave Dave
70	from the officers at Raleigh until some four days after
71	it occurred; that he immediately employed the police around
72	Raleigh under[?] reward of $100. to recapture him + also
73	sent to Kinston a promise of same reward for his recapture.
74	He also says that he believes that said slave boy
75	escaped to the enemy in the Eastern part of the State.
76	Sworn to + subscribed
77	before me this
78	26th Oct 1863
79	S.F. Philips
80	Wm A Blount Jr

Although this document is fascinating in itself for the story it tells about self-emancipation, I’m also making it and the transcription available here, in case they are of use to family historians and other researchers.

I might add that if anyone would like to offer a correction on this transcription, please do so in the comments section below.

[Note: I edited this article on 12 April 2024 to correct an error. I had originally included the name of a worker named David (enslaved by Thomas Finch of Randolph County) among the list of those who escaped from the Raleigh fortifications. I have discovered that this was an error, so I have removed David’s name. ARB 12 Apr 2024.]

ARB — 14 January 2024