The Confessions Of Nat Turner by Nat Turner


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Page 2

Believing the following narrative, by removing doubts and conjectures
from the public mind which otherwise must have remained, would give
general satisfaction, it is respectfully submitted to the public by
their ob't serv't,

T.R. GRAY.
_Jerusalem, Southampton, Va. Nov. 5, 1831._


We the undersigned, members of the Court convened at Jerusalem, on
Saturday, the 5th day of Nov. 1831, for the trial of Nat, _alias_ Nat
Turner, a negro slave, late the property of Putnam Moore, deceased, do
hereby certify, that the confessions of Nat, to Thomas R. Gray, was read
to him in our presence, and that Nat acknowledged the same to be full,
free, and voluntary; and that furthermore, when called upon by the
presiding Magistrate of the Court, to state if he had any thing to say,
why sentence of death should not be passed upon him, replied he had
nothing further than he had communicated to Mr. Gray. Given under our
hands and seals at Jerusalem, this 5th day of November, 1831.
JEREMIAH COBB, [_Seal_.]
THOMAS PRETLOW, [_Seal_.]
JAMES W. PARKER, [_Seal_.]
CARR BOWERS, [_Seal_.]
SAMUEL B. HINES, [_Seal_.]
ORRIS A. BROWNE, [_Seal_.]


_State of Virginia, Southampton County, to wit_:

I, James Rochelle, Clerk of the County Court of Southampton in the State
of Virginia, do hereby certify, that Jeremiah Cobb, Thomas Pretlow,
James W. Parker, Carr Bowers, Samuel B. Hines, and Orris A. Browne,
esqr's are acting Justices of the Peace, in and for the County
aforesaid, and were members of the Court which convened at Jerusalem, on
Saturday the 5th day of November, 1831, for the trial of Nat _alias_ Nat
Turner, a negro slave, late the property of Putnam Moore, deceased, who
was tried and convicted, as an insurgent in the late insurrection in the
county of Southampton aforesaid, and that full faith and credit are due,
and ought to be given to their acts as Justices of the peace aforesaid.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my
hand and caused the seal of the Court
[Seal.] aforesaid, to be affixed this 5th day of
November, 1831.
James Rochelle, C.S.C.C.




CONFESSION.


Agreeable to his own appointment, on the evening he was committed to
prison, with permission of the jailer, I visited NAT on Tuesday the 1st
November, when, without being questioned at all, he commenced his
narrative in the following words:--


Sir,--You have asked me to give a history of the motives which induced
me to undertake the late insurrection, as you call it--To do so I must
go back to the days of my infancy, and even before I was born. I was
thirty-one years of age the 2d of October last, and born the property of
Benj. Turner, of this county. In my childhood a circumstance occurred
which made an indelible impression on my mind, and laid the ground work
of that enthusiasm, which has terminated so fatally to many, both white
and black, and for which I am about to atone at the gallows. It is here
necessary to relate this circumstance--trifling as it may seem, it was
the commencement of that belief which has grown with time, and even now,
sir, in this dungeon, helpless and forsaken as I am, I cannot divest
myself of. Being at play with other children, when three or four years
old, I was telling them something, which my mother overhearing, said it
had happened before I was born--I stuck to my story, however, and
related somethings which went, in her opinion, to confirm it--others
being called on were greatly astonished, knowing that these things had
happened, and caused them to say in my hearing, I surely would be a
prophet, as the Lord had shewn me things that had happened before my
birth. And my father and mother strengthened me in this my first
impression, saying in my presence, I was intended for some great
purpose, which they had always thought from certain marks on my head and
breast--[a parcel of excrescences which I believe are not at all
uncommon, particularly among negroes, as I have seen several with the
same. In this case he has either cut them off or they have nearly
disappeared]--My grand mother, who was very religious, and to whom I was
much attached--my master, who belonged to the church, and other
religious persons who visited the house, and whom I often saw at
prayers, noticing the singularity of my manners, I suppose, and my
uncommon intelligence for a child, remarked I had too much sense to be
raised, and if I was, I would never be of any service to any one as a
slave--To a mind like mine, restless, inquisitive and observant of every
thing that was passing, it is easy to suppose that religion was the
subject to which it would be directed, and although this subject
principally occupied my thoughts--there was nothing that I saw or heard
of to which my attention was not directed--The manner in which I learned
to read and write, not only had great influence on my own mind, as I
acquired it with the most perfect ease, so much so, that I have no
recollection whatever of learning the alphabet--but to the astonishment
of the family, one day, when a book was shewn me to keep me from crying,
I began spelling the names of different objects--this was a source of
wonder to all in the neighborhood, particularly the blacks--and this
learning was constantly improved at all opportunities--when I got large
enough to go to work, while employed, I was reflecting on many things
that would present themselves to my imagination, and whenever an
opportunity occurred of looking at a book, when the school children were
getting their lessons, I would find many things that the fertility of my
own imagination had depicted to me before; all my time, not devoted to
my master's service, was spent either in prayer, or in making
experiments in casting different things in moulds made of earth, in
attempting to make paper, gunpowder, and many other experiments, that
although I could not perfect, yet convinced me of its practicability if
I had the means.[Footnote: When questioned as to the manner of
manufacturing those different articles, he was found well informed on
the subject.] I was not addicted to stealing in my youth, nor have ever
been--Yet such was the confidence of the negroes in the neighborhood,
even at this early period of my life, in my superior judgment, that they
would often carry me with them when they were going on any roguery, to
plan for them. Growing up among them, with this confidence in my
superior judgment, and when this, in their opinions, was perfected by
Divine inspiration, from the circumstances already alluded to in my
infancy, and which belief was ever afterwards zealously inculcated by
the austerity of my life and manners, which became the subject of remark
by white and black.--Having soon discovered to be great, I must appear
so, and therefore studiously avoided mixing in society, and wrapped
myself in mystery, devoting my time to fasting and prayer--By this time,
having arrived to man's estate, and hearing the scriptures commented on
at meetings, I was struck with that particular passage which says: "Seek
ye the kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added unto you." I
reflected much on this passage, and prayed daily for light on this
subject--As I was praying one day at my plough, the spirit spoke to me,
saying, "Seek ye the kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added
unto you." _Question_--what do you mean by the Spirit. _Ans._ The Spirit
that spoke to the prophets in former days--and I was greatly astonished,
and for two years prayed continually, whenever my duty would permit--and
then again I had the same revelation, which fully confirmed me in the
impression that I was ordained for some great purpose in the hands of
the Almighty. Several years rolled round, in which many events occurred
to strengthen me in this my belief. At this time I reverted in my mind
to the remarks made of me in my childhood, and the things that had been
shewn me--and as it had been said of me in my childhood by those by whom
I had been taught to pray, both white and black, and in whom I had the
greatest confidence, that I had too much sense to be raised, and if I
was, I would never be of any use to any one as a slave. Now finding I
had arrived to man's estate, and was a slave, and these revelations
being made known to me, I began to direct my attention to this great
object, to fulfil the purpose for which, by this time, I felt assured I
was intended. Knowing the influence I had obtained over the minds of my
fellow servants, (not by the means of conjuring and such like
tricks--for to them I always spoke of such things with contempt) but by
the communion of the Spirit whose revelations I often communicated to
them, and they believed and said my wisdom came from God. I now began to
prepare them for my purpose, by telling them something was about to
happen that would terminate in fulfilling the great promise that had
been made to me--About this time I was placed under an overseer, from
whom I ran away--and after remaining in the woods thirty days, I
returned, to the astonishment of the negroes on the plantation, who
thought I had made my escape to some other part of the country, as my
father had done before. But the reason of my return was, that the Spirit
appeared to me and said I had my wishes directed to the things of this
world, and not to the kingdom of Heaven, and that I should return to the
service of my earthly master--"For he who knoweth his Master's will, and
doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes, and thus have I
chastened you." And the negroes found fault, and murmurred against me,

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