# William Craft — Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom character guide

> William Craft in Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William Craft.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** William, Craft

**First appearance:** 0002-running-a-thousand-miles-for-freedom

## Snapshot

A Georgia slave who plots his own deliverance, then rides the thousand miles to freedom disguised as the servant of his own wife.

## Who they are

William Craft was born into slavery in Georgia and, though spared the worst brutality, is haunted by the knowledge that his wife and future children could be sold away at any moment. His plan is almost absurdly daring: Ellen will pose as a sickly white master, and he will travel beside her as her slave, inverting the very hierarchy that holds them captive. His steady nerve and willingness to risk everything anchor the narrative's central gamble.

## In the story

### [Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/running_a_thousand_miles_for_freedom_se/chapters/running-a-thousand-miles-for-freedom)

Narrator and co-escapee; devises the plan for Ellen to disguise as a white gentleman.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/running_a_thousand_miles_for_freedom_se/characters/william_craft
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/running_a_thousand_miles_for_freedom_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/running_a_thousand_miles_for_freedom_se/characters