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Boss-Master (Colonel)
Smith is a light-skinned Black man who serves in the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry during the American Civil War. He spent the first part of his life enslaved but was freed when his master died. During the war, Boss-Master and Hero briefly take Smith prisoner. Boss-Master believes Smith to be a white man because of the color of his skin and because he wears a Captain’s coat over his private’s uniform. However, Hero realizes the truth, and, out of Boss-Master’s hearing, Smith confirms his race and social status. He gives Hero more insight about what freedom means. He then encourages Hero to run away and perhaps even join the Union Army, giving Hero his Union uniform coat in the process. Hero frees Smith and he heads back toward his unit, although he’s been seriously injured, and it isn’t clear whether he will survive or not.
Smith Quotes in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The Father Comes Home from the Wars quotes below are all either spoken by Smith or refer to Smith. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2 Quotes
SMITH
Huh.
(Rest)
We captured a Jeb a while back. He didn’t own any slaves but he’d been promised 10 for his service. “10 is a good number,” he kept saying. He didn’t have a dollar to his name. He signed up for the war in another man’s place, see, there was a rich man, who had been called up to serve, and, the rich man didn’t want to come to the War so he got this poor fellah to come in his stead. Said he’d give him 10 slaves for his trouble when he got home. The fellah was pretty excited about the prospect. “10 is a good number,” he kept saying. He had the promise-paper in his pocket and he’d show it to our Colonel every chance he got.
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Colonel and Smith chat in their makeshift camp while they wait for Hero to return from fetching wood and water or for one of the advancing units (one Confederate, one Union) to discover them. Colonel praises the joys of slavery to Smith, who swears that he does not, has not ever, and never will have any interest in enslaving others. Then, Smith tells this story. It underlines the power dynamics inherent in the white supremacist thinking that supported slavery in America. The wealthy southern landowner manipulates the poor Confederate soldier by playing to his idea of racial superiority. Racialized thinking Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a de
SMITH
Not at all. I’m a Yankee through and through. Even if I took off my blue coat, I’d still be a Yankee. Even if you made me swear to the Rebel Cause I’d still be full of my Yankee blood and my Yankee ways and notions. Even if I came down here to live and even if I lived here for a hundred years and had a hundred slaves I’d still be a Yankee.
COLONEL
Underneath your blue coat you and me are more alike than different. And I know you are looking at me and you’re thinking that it’s only a matter of time before we see things your way and we are looking at you and thinking the same thing.
SMITH
We don’t want to change you, we just want to whup you.
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Colonel continues to argue with Smith, even going so far as to suggest that deep down every white man—even the most devoted abolitionist Yankee—wonders what it feels like to enslave a Black person. Smith protests that this isn’t true and that his values are so deeply woven into his character that they cannot be changed or taken from him. His words suggest two ideas. First, they deny the Colonel’s racist and white supremacist world view. Smith says very clearly that, contrary to Colonel’s assertions, not all people wish to subjugate, oppress, and enslave their fellow human beings. Some people see Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam
COLONEL
You might have commanded them but I own them. And because I own them I have an understanding of them that you don’t have and never will. Hero knows his worth to the penny, and, well, the poor thing is honest. Meaning he won’t run off not now not never. He told me one day: “Master,” he said, “running off, well, that would be the same as stealing,” he said.
SMITH
He came to War with you. He came willingly?
COLONEL
I asked him to join me and he did so without a second’s thought. To get him on board I had to sweeten the pot.
I promised him his Freedom.
SMITH
And you’ll keep your Word?
COLONEL
Things these days have grown so very complicated.
SMITH
You don’t intent to keep your word to him.
COLONEL
I didn’t say that.
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As Colonel and Smith argue their respective sides on the issue of slavery, Colonel decides to educate Smith about the value of enslaved workers. This passage highlights and contrasts two ways of judging a person’s value. The first—the enslaver’s way—measures the dollar amount another enslaver would be willing to pay for an enslaved worker. This is obviously dehumanizing, because it treats Hero and others as commodities rather than as human beings. That’s the logic behind the idea that by running away, Hero wouldn’t be claiming his rightful autonomy but stealing something valuable from his enslaver. Yet, attaching a dollar value Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi at
COLONEL
Tell you what, Captain Smith.
The Colonel invites Smith to exit the cage.
COLONEL
Play along with us and, if you can, using the information provided, if you can determine Hero’s original worth, that is, the price he was when he came to me, then he’ll be yours.
HERO
Just like that.
SMITH
You’d have your freedom in a heartbeat.
HERO
Just like that?
COLONEL
Just like that. Now, just so it’s all above board, Hero knows his purchase price so we can’t accuse Colonel of dishonesty should Captain guess correctly. All right with Smith?
SMITH
All right with Hero?
HERO
Alright.
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To past the time, Colonel tries to get Smith to engage in a guessing game about how much he paid to acquire Hero as his enslaved person. Smith, a Yankee through and through, makes it clear that he finds the exercise repugnant and humiliating to Hero, so Colonel tries to sweeten the pot by wagering Hero himself. This is perhaps the ultimate expression of his dehumanizing commodification of Hero’s life—Hero becomes a pawn in a game played for his enslaver’s entertainment. Notably, if Colonel gives Hero to someone else, he implicitly breaks his promise of freedom, because Hero’s new enslaver Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corpori
HERO
How much you think we’re gonna be worth when Freedom comes? What kind of a price will we fetch then?
SMITH
We won’t have a price. Just like they don’t. That’ll be the beauty of it.
HERO
What’s the beauty in being worth nothing?
SMITH
We won’t be able to be moved around, beaten, bought or sold, forced to work and make men rich while we stay poor.
HERO
Most soldiers they’re poor, Colored and White both.
SMITH
There’s more to Freedom than I can explain, but believe me it’s like living in Glory.
HERO
Who will I belong to?
SMITH
You’ll belong to yourself.
HERO
So—[…] when I’m walking down the road […] and a Patroller comes up to me and says “Whose nigger are you, Nigger?” I’m gonna say, “I belong to myself?” Today I can say, “I belong to the Colonel.”
[…] Hero holds up his hands.
Reminiscent of: “Hands up! Don’t shoot!”
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After learning about Smith’s backstory—specifically, that he was enslaved in his youth but now lives as a free Black man—Hero tries to understand what it would be like to actually have freedom. In this passage, the play uses Smith to give eloquent voice to the hope and promise of freedom. And Hero, who cannot stop clinging to the monetary value his enslavers have placed on his precious and priceless human life, exemplifies one facet of slavery’s tragedy and trauma. Yet, as much as the play encourages empathy toward Hero for his failure to see his inherent human worth, it also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissim
HERO
Feels good. Don’t know if it’s the Captain part of the Union part. Probably some of both.
(Rest)
You know what I call the Colonel behind his back? I call him “Peacock.”
SMITH
“Colonel Peacock”?
HERO
No, just “Peacock.” Him and that fool bird-wing feather in his cap that he loves so much. “Peacock.”
(Rest)
Sometimes I think there’s a broke part of me inside.
Snapped in two. Huh.
(Rest)
The Colonel, he says, “Get over here, Hero, and do this and that.” And I say, “Yes, sir,” out loud but to myself I say, “Sure thing, Peacock, sure thing, Peacock.” Sometime he wonders why I’m smiling and that’s how come.
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When Colonel leaves the camp, Smith encourages Hero to try on the Union captain’s coat over his Confederate uniform. This visually mirrors the way Smith has just been trying to get Hero to try on the idea of freedom and autonomy—the idea that his life is priceless—for himself. The fact, then, that the coat fits and looks good symbolically suggests to readers, if not to Hero, that he deserves freedom. And, for the first time, Hero admits his own small acts of defiance toward Boss-Master. Up to this point, Hero wouldn’t admit anything less than complete obedience toward Boss-Master to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Mol
SMITH
[…] This world is such a mess. How’s a colored gonna make his way? […] You could be bought and sold and so could I.
HERO
That’ll end with Freedom.
SMITH
But what if it don’t somehow? Sometimes I get the feeling that the heart of the thing won’t change easy or quick. Cause of the way we were bought and brought over here in the first place. Maybe even with Freedom, that mark, huh, that mark of the marketplace, it will always be on us. And so maybe we will always be twisting and turning ourselves into something that is going to bring the best price. That’s the way we were born into this, so is it always gonna be like that for us, slavery or not? Are we ever going to get us a better place in the marketplace?
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As Smith and Hero discuss the promises of freedom, Smith’s ruminations take a dark turn. Like the earlier moment in which Hero put his hands up in a modern gesture, suggesting that the questions about the value of Black lives weren’t decided by the Civil War but continue to need attention in the modern era, this moment invites readers to consider how their own society has made good on or failed the promise of freedom. Notably, Hero and Smith have changed roles in this moment. Up to this point, Hero was the one incapable of imagining freedom, leaving Smith (or, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea.
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Smith Character Timeline in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The timeline below shows where the character Smith appears in Father Comes Home from the Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2
...the height of summer, the Colonel (Boss-Master) sits in a clearing guarding a union soldier, Smith, in a makeshift wooden cage. Colonel is plucking a banjo and singing a song that...
(full context)
...the distance. Colonel regrets getting separated from his Regiment, even if he did stumble on Smith, who is now his prisoner. A Union Captain, he asserts, is a valuable prize. Smith...
(full context)
Smith belongs to the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. Colonel wants to know what he thinks about...
(full context)
Smith irks Colonel, reminding him of a disobedient and unruly child. Colonel warns Smith that he’ll...
(full context)
Smith asks how many people Colonel enslaves, and Colonel replies 100—and although he doesn’t need any...
(full context)
Colonel offers Smith—who is feverish from his leg wound—water, which Smith gladly accepts. Despite Colonel’s needling, Smith adamantly...
(full context)
After a while, Smith asks about Hero, whom Colonel sent to fetch wood and water at least an hour...
(full context)
...honest to “steal” himself. Besides, he went to war willingly—after Colonel promised him his freedom. Smith asks if Colonel plans to keep his word, and Colonel hedges. Hero’s return interrupts their...
(full context)
Hero polishes Colonel’s boots, his own, and—at Colonel’s insistence—Smith’s boots too. Colonel insists that he has no fear that Hero will ever run away....
(full context)
Trying to engage Smith in the conversation, Colonel offers a wager. If Smith can guess the price he paid...
(full context)
Smith guesses $1,000. Colonel asks Hero—who once saw the receipt in Colonel’s ledger book—to confirm or...
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...private places even though it makes him a visible target. Then, anguished, he observes that Smith and the rest of the Yankees consider him a bad person, even though he’s promised...
(full context)
Smith asks Colonel what monetary value he’d place on himself. Insulted, Colonel refuses to answer and...
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...camp, Colonel decides to check on the advancement of the nearby Rebel troops. Hero and Smith make awkward small talk, but they slowly warm up to each other. Soon, they’re discussing...
(full context)
Then, finally, Hero asks about Smith’s coats, because he noticed that the Private’s coat fit him better than the Captain’s. And...
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Smith encourages Hero to try on the Union Captain’s coat. It looks—and feels—good on him. Hero...
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Footsteps approach and Hero quickly takes off the coat and hands it back to Smith. He nearly stabs Colonel as he comes running headlong back into the makeshift camp. The...
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After a long moment, Smith asks if he and Hero shouldn’t follow Colonel. After another pause Hero, remarking that he’s...
(full context)
Part 3
...says that Old-Hero never abandoned Boss-Master. And he explains how Old-Hero met a Yankee soldier (Smith) who gave him a Yankee coat that Old-Hero wore underneath his Confederate uniform afterwards.
(full context)
