Actually she intimated the slaves belonged to her. In her letters to General Grant and to others that she corresponded with, she often referred to them as “her girls”, or “my slaves”. While she was undoubtedly their master in the household, her father never transferred legal ownership to either Julia or General Grant. When Julia would travel outside of Missouri, Fredrick Dent forbade her taking any of the slaves with her.
“When Julia would travel outside of Missouri, Fredrick Dent forbade her taking any of the slaves with her.”
Jule, the slave, traveled extensively with Julia Grant in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi during the early part of the war. Before the emancipation proclamation.