[dpa5923]

When written and published the Emancipation Proclimation freed no slaves. It was specifically said: That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free;

As the federal government had no authority in the states currently in rebellion no slaves were freed. But as the Union armies marched south and occupied areas of the south, slaves were indeed freed. As this interview was conducted in September of 1864, Unions armies had by this time moved deeply into southern territory and freed numerous slaves.

[Ditto]

I think that's pretty much what I said back in post # 41

Were any slaves suddenly freed on Jan. 1, 1863 when the EP was issued? No. But with each passing day as Union troops advanced, from that point forward until June 19, of 1865 when Union General Granger took control of Texas and read the Emancipapion Proclamation and freed 250,000 Texas slaves, several million slaves were permantly freed under the terms of the EP.

41 posted on 10/10/2003 8:44 AM PDT by Ditto