1825 Slave Rebellion with Graphic Detail

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2004

Autograph Letter Signed, "E.S. Fales" 3p. folio, June 21, 1825, Sumedero, Cuba, with integral address leaf to Mrs. Lydia S. French, Bristol, Rhode Island, with horrific content pertaining to a slave revolt on the island, it reads in most part: "…you will no doubt have heard of the insurrection of the Negroes in our part of the Country, which as to numbers was inconsiderable, but the result was horrid. No less than sixteen whites was most barbarously butchered; among them a family with whom we have been on the most intimate terms of friendship. Their names were Armitage, and Englishman by birth, but a resident in our Western States for many, many years. He commenced a coffee estate near ours…His wife, an amiable young women with whom our girls was always delighted to be with, as she was always pleased to assist them in making dress &c…His family consisted of two amiable boys, one of 16 the other 18, with a small son of three years who were mangled to death with the exception of the child, who was preserved by one of Mr. A's mulatto woman slave, who bro't him to me for protection & is still with Phebe & will ever remain if his friends in the U. States do not send for him. His father had twenty Negro slaves & treated them like children of his own, but they joined with others as bad as themselves on the morn of the 15th inst….& commenced their work of death & after visiting other Estates & getting all possible reinforcements appeared on the high road & was only two miles from our house about six in the morning. Your sister was in bed, as well as Harriet & Thos…I immediately called her with all possible caution to escape from the house as the Negroes had risen (revolted) & as she was not in a situation to ride on horse back…we dare not approach the Main Road. We took for the woods the most unfrequented where I left her to join in endeavoring to dispearse the assailants (as many Negroes were unconscious of what was going on). On my arrival at the rendeazvous was advised to return & provide for wife & family's safety…returned to our own house & found my Negroes employed as I left them without any symptom of discontent. I then took my horses & took my family to a friend's house where they still are perfectly secure. I have great reason to be grateful that my Negroes are perfectly contented & submissive. Had they have joined the insurgents no doubt our names would have been added to the killed, as we live retired from the main road. However as insurgent Negroes had no system they were soon dispearsed with a very considerable loss & as we have no small detachments of men here the Negroes have completely failed. We have recd. an order this day to spare no Negroes found in the woods & I have no doubt that if not at all, the greater part of the revolters will be killed this day, as dogs as well as men are in pursuit. I have slept every night on my place without any white person & now feel myself as secure as in Bristol….It was a shocking scene to see the dead bodies on the road. The Negroes' bodies have generally been burnt, as they were in such a state that it was impossible to bury them the Govr. being too much occupied to attend to order funeral rites. We, I thinkn, now have no cause for fear…Should any new disturbance occur, which I think improbable, shall most certainly come on to Bristol with my family…" Fine. Accompanied by 2nd letter of Fales, 2p. quarto, addressed to French, January 1826, with brief passage about the revolt "As to our rebellion; every thing is quiet as we fear no alarm being in complete readiness & most of negroes concerned are either executed or under sentence…." Fine.Slave revolts were the feared nightmare of all slave holders throughout the South and the islands. Though most revolts were only rumored there were several insurrections that led to severe casualties. The most notable was the Nat Turner rebellion which cost the lives of over 60 whites and hundreds of slaves. This revolt is not heavily documented but on parallel with the Turner rebellion. The 1827 census of Cuba lists over 280,000 slaves on the island, a number which could have easily resulted into an open revolution similar to that in Haiti. Letters are accompanied by several pages of supporting text.

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