PRIMARY DOCUMENT

“Statement of Jinny Scott wife of Ed Scott” (June 8, 1865)

CONTEXT

In this transcription of her oral testimony, taken by the Freedman’s Bureau, dated June 8, 1865, Jinny Scott recounts the last time she saw her husband, Ed Scott. Three days earlier, on Monday, June 5, two Confederate soldiers attacked her and husband on Main Street in Richmond. She fled the scene, leaving her husband, still in the midst of the altercation.

FULL TEXT

On Monday night about 7 o’clock my husband and I, in company with Richard Adams and June Minor took a walk on Main St. near 25th, two Reb boys with grey coats came from the opposite direction. We gave way so that they could pass, one of them ran against me and struck me in the breast with his fist. They said before they got to us that they “were not agoing to get out of the way for damned niggers.” We got out of the way as far as we could. I let go of my husband’s hand and went one way, and he went the other, and gave room for them to go between us, one went between us and the other went on the outside and struck me—my husband told him I was his wife and asked what he had struck me for. He said “I will strike her and you to, you damned nigger.” My husband said “no you won’t, if you strike her again I will strike you.” They called me all kinds of bad names. I was frightened and ran off. They kept cussing me and calling me bad names, and threw rocks at me. I left my husband there and ran home. I did not see the soldiers beat my husband. On Wednesday a soldier came to me and told me they had got my husband the night before, and took me to the Provost Marshals. They brought my husband in and the Provost Marshal showed me his cap and cravat and asked me did I know them. I told him yes, they were my husbands. That was all he asked me. I didn’t hear him ask any more questions. He told me to go and I went. I have never seen my husband since.

The above was mostly taken down by another person. He brought the statement to me, and afterwards at my request brought Jinny Scott to me. I read it to her, asked her some questions, told here that I was to send it to Washington and asked if it was all true and could she swear to it. She said yes.

Attest

signed H. W. Pierson
Richmond, Va.
June 8th 1865

MAP
TIMELINE
June 8, 1865

Jinny Scott recounts the last time she saw her husband, Ed Scott, in a testimony taken by the Freedman's Bureau in Richmond.

CITE THIS ENTRY
APA Citation:
Scott, Jinny & Pierson, Hamilton. “Statement of Jinny Scott wife of Ed Scott” (June 8, 1865). (2021, April 22). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/statement-of-jinny-scott-wife-of-ed-scott-june-8-1865.
MLA Citation:
Scott, Jinny, and Hamilton Pierson. "“Statement of Jinny Scott wife of Ed Scott” (June 8, 1865)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (22 Apr. 2021). Web. 23 Sep. 2023
Last updated: 2021, April 22
Feedback
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.