Chapter 6
War!

In 1857, when she was sixty years old, Sojourner sold her house in Northampton, Massachusetts. She moved to a small community in Michigan called Harmonia, near Battle Creek. Like the Northampton Association, Harmonia was a place where blacks and whites lived side by side. Blacks were treated equally.

Many abolitionists lived in the area, too. They were proud to have Sojourner as a neighbor. And she was happy to be living among kindhearted, educated people who were free from prejudice. Sojourner wanted to spend time with her daughters Diana and Elizabeth and their sons, James Caldwell and Samuel Banks, who were all living nearby.

Sammy was her favorite. He was Elizabeth’s son. He did chores for Sojourner. He helped her around the house. When he learned to read, he read the Bible to her. He kept her company. Maybe Sammy reminded her of Peter, the son who sailed away. Sammy and his grandmother became very close.

Meanwhile, the question of slavery was tearing the United States apart. By this time slavery had been outlawed in all the Northern states. Many in the North thought slavery should end everywhere in the country. But the Southern states still clung to their slaves. Rich Southerners had large farms and needed free labor to plant and harvest crops such as cotton, rice, and tobacco. Although the government passed different laws to deal with the problem and keep the country whole, it wasn’t working.

Finally, in 1861, eleven Southern states broke away and formed their own country: the Confederate States of America. The Civil War started. Northern soldiers fought against Southern soldiers.

One of Sojourner’s grandsons, James Caldwell, signed up with the Northern army. She was so proud. She encouraged other black men to enlist. In 1863, a large group of black soldiers in Detroit was preparing for battle. Sojourner asked the people of Battle Creek, Michigan, to donate food. She brought the food to the soldiers for a Thanksgiving dinner. To encourage the young men, she spoke and sang. She wanted to raise their spirits with her words.

Slaves were fleeing from the South and coming to the North. Some joined the army. Others just wanted to make a new life as free men and women. Thousands of these former slaves landed in Washington, DC. They were free now. But they had no jobs. They had no homes. What would happen to them? Sojourner knew they would need help. She decided to go there and help them.

In 1864, she arrived in Washington. What she saw was terrible. Ex-slaves lived in shacks. They did not have enough food or clothing. They did not know how to take care of themselves because they never had to do it before. But Sojourner had. She would show them all the things they needed to know.

Her work was noticed and praised. She even got to meet President Abraham Lincoln. What an honor! He signed her “Book of Life,” a combination autograph book and scrapbook. She was so proud to have his signature in it.

The war raged on for four years. Almost three quarters of a million soldiers lost their lives.

Finally, on April 9, 1865, the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered. The Civil War was over at last. But the South lay in ruins. Houses and property were destroyed. Cities were burned to the ground. It would take years to rebuild.

Just a few days after Lee’s surrender, President Lincoln went to see a play. While at the theater, he was shot and killed by a pro-Southern actor named John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln’s body was laid out in the East Room of the White House. Thousands of people came to mourn and pay their respects. Sojourner and Sammy were among them.

Vice President Andrew Johnson became the new president. Sojourner met with him. She wanted to talk about the ex-slaves in Washington. She told him her concerns. He listened but made no promises to help. Sojourner had her Book of Life with her that day. She did not ask President Johnson to sign it.

The war had ended and the slaves were freed. But the newly freed slaves’ problems were far from over. And women had not won important freedoms. They still could not vote.

Sojourner was almost seventy years old. She was growing tired. But there was still so much work to do. Sojourner knew she had to keep going.