The Martyrs, and the Fugitive, which was "published for the benefit of the fugitive," is a sympathetic examination of one family's experiences in slavery. The author, S. H. Platt, tells this fictionalized account in the form of a frame story, in which the narrator relates the short history to his younger sister. The story explains how Bobah, his wife Mabowah, and their two children were taken captive by slave traders in Africa and endured a rough journey to the coast. Along the way, their children were killed, and the couple was briefly separated. The narrator describes the inhumane conditions aboard the slave ship, and recounts Bobah and Mabowah's hardships following their arrival at Colonel Halman's plantation in Savannah, Georgia. They had a son, Caesar, who becomes the focus of the rest of the narrative.

Caesar was sent to another plantation, where he trained to manage and ride horses. Both of his parents were killed, his father, after trying to rescue a young female slave, and his mother, because of her refusal to stop praying and singing. Caesar witnessed his mother's death, which led to his conversion to Christianity. Caesar successfully escaped to Pennsylvania, and from there to New Jersey and Canada. By the conclusion Caesar, although weakened by injuries suffered in slavery, had married and had children. He also worked when he could. Samples of Caesar's ballads are appended to the work. The author exhorts readers to circulate the book, so that Caesar's family may receive aid.

Monique Prince