In 1895, Macon, Georgia, announced the passing of one of its most eminent citizens—Captain Albert Butts who had commanded Company B, The Macon Volunteers in the 2nd Georgia Battalion. He appeared at company reunions over the next thirty years. He was lauded for his faithful service in the local Episcopal church, and he was hailed for helping to open a local river for navigation, travel, and shipping. He left behind a wife, three daughters, and three sons, and his former comrades saluted him with military honors. The full obituary follows.

Five years later, Richard Jordan, in his early sixties, passed away in Mount Hope Springs, Pennsylvania. The local paper similarly saluted his service in the Civil War, in this case, his time with the U.S. Colored Troops. He, too, left a family behind, including three daughters and three sons. Somewhat like Captain Butts, Richard was also in the transportation business, working as a teamster for the local paper company.

What ties them together? Richard was a teamster for a Georgia unit and made his escape to freedom during the Battle of Gettysburg. It is quite likely, if not probable, that Captain Albert Butts was his master and had brought him into Confederate service against his will. How do we know? We don’t, but here is the 1860 slave schedule entry for Albert G. Butts.

Here, we see that Captain Butts owned males who were 20 and 21 years old. Enslaved people were not considered full people or citizens, and hence, the Census never records their names. Richard later reported in the Census that he was born in approximately 1839, that he was from Macon, and that he accompanied a Confederate officer to the battle. Nearly all Georgia officers from Macon were either not at the battle, did not hold slaves, or did not have enslaved people who fit the gender and age. By service records, Captain Butts appears to be the only fit.

Just as the Census is silent about the identities of enslaved people, Richard Jordan’s obituary is silent about who owned him. Naturally, Captain Butts’s obituary makes no mention of the enslaved people he held.

Either way, Gettysburg was a landmark time for both men. Butts’s service record indicates he was discharged for disability just three weeks after the battle, suggesting either illness or injury from the campaign ended his service. Meanwhile, Richard left behind what were surely members of his family in Macon and built for himself an entirely new life in Pennsylvania—a life that included battling for freedom for those like him.