Howard, O. H

Description

In this affidavit taken on September 23, 1868 in Albany, Georgia by Freedmen's Bureau subassistant commissioner O.H. Howard, freedman Washington Jones, a thirty-eight-year-old worker on Stokes Walters's plantation in Mitchell County, gives his account of the Camilla Riot. The riot took place when Republicans together with freedmen came to Camilla to hold a political rally on September 19, 1868 and were met there with violent opposition from townspeople. Jones states that as many as three weeks previous he had overheard white men Robert Warren and Sam Dickerson talking about their intentions to perpetrate violence if Republican John Murphy came to Camilla to speak. Jones also states that he had not heard any of the freedmen planning violence beforehand. Despite what he heard, Jones went to Camilla with only a walking stick, where he saw James Johns fire the first shots, followed shortly by shooting from white men in the stores on either side of the gathering. Less than two minutes later, Jones fled the scene with the other freedmen as the whites pursued. Though he saw another freedman shot, Jones made it home safely by sundown.Digital image and transcription created by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2001 of a photocopy held by DeSoto Trail Regional Library of an original record held by the National Archives.

Record Contributed By

DeSoto Trail Regional Library System

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia