# 4: A “Sherman Cutloose”
Former Slave Samuel “Aleckson” Williams wrote in his memoir, Before the War and After the Union (1929),
“ Here I shall have to admit that I was a “Sherman Cutloose” (this was a term applied in derision by Some of the Negroes who were free before the war,— To those who were freed by the war). I am Persuaded however that all the Negroes in the slave belt, And some of the white men too, were “Cutloose” by General Sherman. But let bygones be bygones.”
Williams here is re-appropriating with pride the supposedly derisive term used by slaves who had been freed before the war to describe those freed only through the intervention of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War. That is itself interesting but my research has found little elsewhere indicating this was a common term. Indeed, I’ve only ever come across it in this context within Williams’ memoir.
It’s far more common to hear the term “contraband” when referring to the many men, women, and children, who fled from bondage to the Union troops or areas secured by Union forces.
“Cutting loose” however is a certainly a term much associated with Sherman himself in an entirely different context. And yet the overlap cannot be coincidental. Sherman was known to “cut loose” from all communications when in a state of battle or attack. He would regularly cut telegraph lines and break off contact with regular chains of contact and, indeed, chains of command. Any search into Google books will find the phrase “cut loose” and “Sherman:” used regularly when describing his often rogue approach to leadership.
Seeing a phrase associated with Sherman’s tactical maneuvers, applied by Black people to describe a circumstance or status among the Black population that was, partly caused by Sherman’s “Cut Loose” tactics is a fascinating case of slipping signifiers - illustrating how meaning can never be fully cut loose from its moorings even whilst it shifts and slides.
For more on Samuel Williams, see my Digital Exhibit on Samuel “Aleckson” Williams and his World and check out my blog post “Black Names in the White Ledger” on The Liverpool University Press site
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To Cite:
Ashton, Susanna. "A ‘Sherman Cutloose.’" The Runaway Chronicles. Squarespace. 06/03/2024. https://susannaashton.squarespace.com/config/pages/65c93bd35c81e32bb1a08098/content.
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Samuel “Aleckson” Williams pictured here with his grandson, Bruce McClain (images dating from probably 1940 and 1980) - permission granted from a Williams descendant for my use.
In the illustration above, Union troops distribute clothes to a contraband camp in New Bern, NC. Image courtesy of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Raleigh, NC.