In this exhibit you can explore the different phases of Solitude’s history. We begin during the period when this place was indigenous land, and go on to explore its history as a slave plantation in the nineteenth century.
THE FRACTION BROTHERS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
In the Spring of 1865, Thomas and Othello Fraction, brothers enslaved at Solitude, embarked on a journey to fight for and claim their independence. Rather than wait for the war to end and for Union troops to come and free them from their enslavement, the Fraction brothers took an active role in their emancipation.
Like many slaves during the time, Thomas and Othello Fraction used the crisis of the Civil War and the absence of their enslavers to flee from bondage, escaping Solitude in April 1865. Thomas wrote a letter to Robert T. Preston, who had been serving in the Confederate Army since 1861, informing him that he and his brother were leaving Solitude to join the Union Army. Preston responded, writing back that if they left Solitude to join the Army, he would kill them if they ever returned. Unnerved by the threat, Thomas and Othello left Solitude, made their way to Greenville, Tennessee and formally enlisted in the Union Army on April 26, 1865. Below are their official enlistment papers (Figures 1 and 2). Although enlisting 17 days after Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, these documents highlight the role many enslaved peoples took in their transition from property to people. The Fraction brothers were active in the fight for emancipation, serving as historical actors and altering the nation’s history.
Enlistment into the Union Army was not the end of their adventure however. In February 1866, the Union Army granted the brothers furlough (Figure 3), and they used their leave of absence to return to Solitude and visit their family. Robert Preston caught wind of their plan to return however and wrote them a letter reminding them of his threat to kill them should they return to Solitude. Unnerved by the threat, Thomas and Othello wrote back to Preston, warning him that he and his brother were now trained soldiers and if provoked, they would have no choice but to defend themselves and fight back. Thomas and Othello returned to Solitude in March 1866 and while visiting their father, were alerted that Preston was on this way to their dwelling, determined to fulfill the threat of death he had made. While attempting to leave before Preston could find them, the trio encountered each other and a standoff ensued. With both sides having pistols aimed at the other, Preston fired his guns, shooting Thomas in the leg. As a result of this standoff, both Thomas and Othello Fraction were sent to prison. Imprisoned for roughly a year, the Fractions were eventually freed with the help of the Freedmen's Bureau and the US Army (Figures 4,5,6). Although eventually freed, this episode exemplifies the continued struggle recently freed slaves faced. Racial injustice in the legal system was just one of the many methods used by powerful white landowners to retain control over southern society following the war.
Figure 1- Thomas Fraction Enlistment Record, April 1865. National Archives.
Figure 2- Othello Fraction Enlistment Record, April 1865. National Archives.
Figure 3- Company Muster Roll from the Union Army stating that Thomas Fraction was granted a furlough of 30 days, February 1866. National Archives.
Figure 4- Thomas Fraction listed as "absent in confinement in Salem VA" on Company Muster Roll, April 1866. National Archives.
Figure 5- Othello Fraction listed as "absent in confinement in Salem VA" on Company Muster Roll, April 1866. National Archives.
Figure 6- Letters detailing the case between the Fraction brothers and Robert Taylor Preston, 1867.
It may seem strange that Thomas and Othello were willing to risk their lives returning to a plantation that seemingly symbolized their bondage and suffering, but it is important to remember that Solitude was integral to the identity of those who were enslaved there. Thomas and Othello were born at Solitude. They worked the land and made memories. Solitude was the only home they had ever known and after joining the army and fighting for their freedom, they were not going to allow their former master to continue to govern their actions. Their return to Solitude was the ultimate expression of their newly granted freedom and independence.
