Sam is Addy's older brother and fifteen at the start of the series. Like her and the rest of the family, he is enslaved and has been working like an adult for several years. He is tall like Ben, but skinny and when he smiles he still looks like a little boy. At the start of the series, Sam is impulsive, defiant and sullen. He is bitter at being enslaved and longs to escape and fight for the Union army. Poppa describes him as having a hot head and a hot mouth, and worries he may get the family in trouble with his defiant, sulky actions. His parents hush him when he talks about escaping north. He has already attempted to escape once--just before Esther was born--but was tracked down by Master Stevens, brought back to the plantation, and tied to a tree and violently whipped as punishment in front of the other enslaved people until his back was bloody; Ruth is worried if he takes off a second time, they may never see him again. He has to be pushed into getting up to work by Ben and grumbles and works lazily at his jobs in the fields. At his age he is considered a grown man and must work like the other adults in the cotton fields rather than the tobacco fields with the younger children. Unlike his mother, his father, and Addy, he is not shown as working in any other tasks such as serving in the house or personal skills and most likely worked exclusively in the fields. He has greatly matured upon his his return to the family at the end of Addy Saves The Day. He was able to escape his enslavement and join the Union forces to serve during the war. His left arm is amputated after it was lost in a battle. Being a soldier has mellowed his attitude out; he is no longer as hot-tempered, surly about working, or grumpy, and growing up has made his voice deepen. He is much more thoughtful and less impulsive, and a hard worker to help the family financially. Addy thinks of Sam as capable of doing things just as well with one arm as he did two. He's very proud of having been a soldier and served. Sam is smart, brave, and funny. He consistently comes up with riddles for his younger sister Addy to figure out and encourages her to keep her mind sharp. He taught Addy to swim and whistle, among many other skills she has. He has such long legs that Addy has to take two steps to each of his, and has a way of always making Addy feel better.