The Underground Railroad: Authentic Narratives and First-Hand Accounts
By William Still
First published in 1872, this book recounts the tales William Still listened to as he helped runaways escape to the North by an assistance group called the General Vigilance Committee. Although himself the son of slaves, he was its secretary and executive director. He made a point of writing down these detailed narratives in his journals, adding excerpts to them from newspapers, letters and legal documents. After the Civil War ended he published his writings that are considered to be the most complete firsthand accounts ever written about those seeking their freedom via the Underground Railroad. 273 pages.