This has been going around the net in the last few days, and if you haven’t seen it, you really must. It’s amazing.

Letters of Note: To My Old Master.

The year is 1865. A former slaveowner writes to one of his slaves, requesting that he return to service. Of course, the slave is now a free man–and he writes one hell of a letter to his former master. It starts like this:

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin’s to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living.

…and it only gets better from there. Go read it.