'Let us Desert this Friendless Place': George Moses Horton in Philadelphia—1866

Abstract

George Moses Horton, the who wrote and published poetry in the years before and after the Civil War, was poet of no mean ability, a true poet, of one for whom, indeed, the writing of poetry, whatever its nature or subject, was an inescapable accompaniment to the very act of breathing.(1) Horton's final years have long been shrouded in obscurity - most of the known information on his last years rests on the testimony (that of questionable validity) of one man. Although this study does not claim to solve the mystery of Horton's last years, it attempts to give some idea on how and when his life ended. The author hopes that this short study, cursory as it is, will stimulate further investigation into this area of Horton's life. Born on the William Horton plantation near Rich square in Northampton County, North Carolina, about 1798, George Moses Horton taught himself to read from an old spelling book, Wesley hymnal, and the Bible, while tending the plantation's livestock. As young slave, George Moses would go to the nearby village of Chapel Hill on Sundays to sell farm produce to the students from the University of North Carolina. He became favorite among the students, who soon determined that George should give speech, or spout on any topic they wished, before they would purchase fruits and vegetables from the Horton farm.(2) After some time, George made the undergraduates aware of gift he prized more highly than forensic abilities - knack for rhyming verses. Although he could not then write, he was soon composing acrostics (someone wrote them down for his dictation) on the names of tip-top belles of Virginia. South Carolina, and Georgia - sisters and sweethearts of the students. His versification was so successful that he was soon charging fifty cents for poem and seventy-five cents for love letter, and had, on the average, at least dozen orders week. From the start, George soon sent out his poetry for publications in local newspapers, and subsequently published two books of poetry while enslaved.(3) Despite all this activity - along with Horton's personal appeals made to influential national personages that, for number of reasons, went awry - Horton grew old in slavery. At the beginning of the Civil War, sixty-one (or -two) year old George Moses Horton was the slave of Hall Horton, tanner and farmer in Chatham County near the town of Pittsboro, few miles from Chapel Hill. Hall Horton was also the grandson of George's first owner. During the war, George spent his time, as he had for so many years, between Hall Horton's farm and tannery and Chapel Hill on the campus of the University of North Carolina.(4) He was in Chapel Hill when the Union Army, in the form of the 9th Michigan Cavalry, arrived in late 1864; the story of his stay with Captain William H. S. Banks and the publication of Naked Genius in 1865 have been recounted elsewhere.(5) After Banks and Horton parted company, Horton started composing and compiling poems for new work entitled The Black Poet. However, the publication of Naked Genius does not appear to have raised any hopes of success (or revenue) for Horton while he remained in North Carolina; it appears that Horton then decided to try and find backing for his new book in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(6) Why Philadelphia? Such contemplated journey must have appeared to have been daunting one for someone who probably had not travelled fifty or more miles from his home in his long life, The idea may have been planted by missionaries and educators from the North, who arrived in North Carolina soon after Appomattox. A good number of these people were African-Americans, who would have been familiar both with Horton's work and his attempts to buy his way out of slavery. These educators would have been impressed by Horton and his accomplishments. It may have been one of these folks who suggested that he may have better chance of getting The Black Poet published in Philadelphia and thus arranged for Horton's passage to the Quaker City. …