Charles Ball

Born around 1780 in Maryland, Charles Ball was an enslaved African American who later became known for telling his own story in print. According to reference sources including Wikipedia, Enslaved.org, and the National Park Service, he spent decades in bondage, was separated from family members while still young, and eventually escaped.

Ball is best remembered for Slavery in the United States (1836), a narrative based on his lived experience. His account stands out because it describes everyday life under slavery in Maryland, South Carolina, and Georgia in vivid, personal detail, while also tracing his efforts to claim freedom.

Sources also note that he served during the War of 1812 with the Chesapeake Flotilla. Even with gaps in the historical record, his published narrative remains an important firsthand testimony, valued for the way it documents both the brutality of slavery and the resilience of the man who survived it.