The entire city of Richmond lies in rubble, not far from where you live.
During General Sherman’s March last year, Union soldiers set buildings ablaze, destroyed crops, and pulled up railroad tracks from Atlanta all the way to Savannah. But here, Confederate soldiers destroyed the city because the Union Army was about to arrive. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the war. Now, there’s no money to rebuild.
Your life and future seem so uncertain now. Where will your family live, and will you still work like your mother and father? Will you be able to find your relatives who were sold or traded to other plantations? Your family might move far away, if you can find a safe way to travel, but right now, you stay close by.