Charles Ball facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Ball
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| Charles Gross | |
Charles Ball wearing the uniform of the U.S. Navy's Chesapeake Bay Flotilla under the command of Commodore Joshua Barney in the War of 1812
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| Born | around 1780 |
| Died | ? ?
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| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Judah, Lucy |
| Children | yes |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 U.S. Navy
USS Congress (around 1800) Commodore Joshua Barney's Chesapeake Bay Flotilla (1813-1815) |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812
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Charles Ball (whose real name was Charles Gross) was an African-American man born around 1780. He was born into slavery in Maryland. He is most famous for his book, Slavery in the United States, which told the story of his life and how he escaped slavery.
Contents
Charles Ball's Story
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The main way we know about Charles Ball's life is through his own book. It was called Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, a Black Man... It was published in 1837. A lawyer named Isaac Fisher helped him write it.
Later, in 1859, a shorter version of his book came out. It was called Fifty Years in Chains, or, The Life of an American Slave. This shorter book left out some important parts, like details about his African grandfather's religion and his time fighting in the War of 1812.
Ball's book tells us a lot about what life was like for enslaved people and slave owners in the early 1800s. It also shares stories of other African Americans he knew. His book is one of the few writings from that time that shares the experiences of Africans. It even includes a description of religious customs from the part of Africa where his grandfather grew up.
His African Family
Charles Ball's book says that his grandfather came from a noble family in Africa. He was captured and brought to Calvert County, Maryland, as an enslaved person around 1730.
The 1837 version of Ball's book describes his grandfather's religion. The old man told his grandson about it. This religion had some things in common with Islam, but it was not exactly the same. It's not clear if his grandfather was Muslim or not.
His grandfather also said that his people kept their religious rules in books. This means that his grandfather's society in Africa was very educated. This is interesting because at the time, some people who supported slavery claimed that Africans were "civilized" by slavery.
Life as an Enslaved Person
Charles Ball was born into slavery in Maryland around 1781. When he was about four years old, his owner died. To pay off debts, Charles, his mother, and his brothers and sisters were all sold to different people. He wrote that his first memory was being cruelly separated from his mother. He said, "Young as I was, the horrors of that day sank deeply into my heart..."
Over the years, Charles was passed to many different slaveholders. This happened through inheritance, sales, and even a lawsuit. Around 1800, he worked for two years as a cook on a ship called the USS Congress.
After that, he married a woman named Judah. But when his oldest son was four years old, Charles was sold to a cotton planter in South Carolina. This meant he was separated from his wife and children, who had to stay in Maryland.
In 1806, he was given as a gift to his owner's daughter. He had to move to a new plantation in Georgia. After the daughter's husband died, the plantation and the enslaved people were rented out to another slaveholder. Charles built a trusting relationship with this new master. He even became the headman on the plantation.
However, the master's wife hated Charles. In 1809, she and her brother cruelly whipped him. After this, Charles planned to escape. He traveled at night to avoid patrols, using the stars to guide him. He suffered from hunger and cold. He finally returned to his wife and children in early 1810.
Serving in the War of 1812
Charles Ball also served in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812. In 1813, he joined Commodore Joshua Barney's Chesapeake Bay Flotilla. He fought in the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814. This battle was a big defeat for the Americans.
Here is what Charles Ball wrote about the battle: "I stood at my gun, until the Commodore was shot down... If the militia regiments... could have been brought to charge the British... we should have killed or taken the whole of them... but the militia ran like sheep chased by dogs."
Life After the War
In 1816, Charles's first wife, Judah, died. He married a second time to a woman named Lucy. He was able to buy a small farm with money he had saved.
But in 1830, the man who had whipped him 21 years earlier found him. Charles was kidnapped and taken back to Georgia. He escaped again. When he returned, he learned that Lucy and their children had also been kidnapped into slavery. His farm had been taken by a white man.
Because he was still legally considered an enslaved person, he could not claim his rights. He had to move to Pennsylvania. There, he wrote his 1837 book with the help of lawyer Isaac Fisher.
We do not know what happened to Charles Ball after his book was published. We also don't know what happened to his wife or children.
Slavery in Maryland vs. the Deep South
When Charles Ball was forced to move to the Deep South, he often compared what he saw there to his home in Maryland. He said that slavery was bad everywhere, but it was much worse on the cotton plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. He also mentioned the rice fields near the swamps in the South.
He described his arrival on a plantation in South Carolina. He felt that his "future life" would be "one long, waste, barren desert, of cheerless, hopeless, lifeless slavery." He believed it would only be changed by hunger and whippings. He saw that enslaved people there were poorly fed. Children often had no clothes, and adults wore rags.
Honors
Charles Ball is one of three sailors shown on the Battle of Bladensburg Monument in Bladensburg, Maryland.
