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Confederate persona of John Roberts

I was born to a small farming family in the year of 1828 near the town of Vinton in Virginia. Vinton is on the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley. It’s a beautiful place nestled between two mountain ranges with fertile soil for farming. Pa and Ma moved up hear after doin some sharecropping down on the tidewater lands about 25 years ago. It was the ideal place for Pa to make his own start. Our family is small with just two younger sisters and me. Pa and I work hard from dawn to dusk out in the fields. We have almost 40 acres planted. We also have many acres of timber that we work in the winter. We provide lumber and firewood for many people in the town.

We don’t have slaves out here and don’t associate much with the Planters that do. I don’t really think it’s right to own another person but I don’t think it’s any of my business if others do. I keep hearing about how the North is oppressing us down here in the South. I’m not sure how true it is. Life is always a struggle out here but we are happy to have our own land. I will defend my families land though. Them Yankees keep getting closer to our county with their raids. They burn up the crops that they can’t take with them and burn people’s homes and kill anyone who puts up a fight. I even heard of some women being hurt.

I couldn’t stand by and wait for that to happen to my family. When I was in Vinton I read a poster for volunteers needed in the 14^th Virginia Cavalry. So now I am saying goodbye to Ma and Pa and my sisters.

I’ll saddle up a horse and pack a shirt and my shotgun. I will do my part and protect our land from them blue belly raiders.