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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com. It's early evening on September 2nd, 1862 in Cincinnati, Ohio, one year into the American Civil War.

Powhat and Beattie sighs as he hears a knocking at his front door. He hopes he can get rid of the visitor as quickly as possible.

A 35-year-old African-American cabinet maker finally finished work for the day

and wants nothing more than a hearty meal and a good night's sleep.

But as he opens his door, Powhatan's dream of a quiet evening disappears.

On his doorstep, a grim-faced policeman

stands with his gun drawn. Powhatan looks over the officer's shoulder and spots dozens

more officers banging on every door in the street. For a moment, Palatin wonders whether the city is

being evacuated. He's heard rumors that the Confederates are planning an

attack. But before he can ask, the policeman grabs Palatan's collar and roughly pulls him into

the street. Howlton stumbles and falls to the ground. The policeman points his gun and orders

Powhatan to get back to his feet. As he stands up, Powhatan is forced along the road at gunpoint,

with other neighbors being dragged out of their houses.

The police officers seem to be seizing every black man of working age they can find.

Soon, Powhatan is ordered to stop,

and he and his neighbors are herded together and march to a nearby camp.

When they arrive, policemen hand the men shovels and gruffly order them to start digging rifle pits and trenches.

But as the men next to him pick up their shovels, Howton hesitates.

He was born a slave but gained his freedom years ago.

...