Letter from William Henry Heyward at Savannah to James B. Heyward at Combahee. William Heyward has come to the conclusion that the destruction of slave labor will prevent them from ever turning a profit again on the scale seen in the past. He claims that the bargaining power exercised by the freedmen "makes the Planter a slave, far worse than his slave used to be." Because of the scarcity and high price of labor he believes that he and James should sell most of their properties and concentrate all their efforts on a few. 4p. April 17, 1866.
Letter from fellow Charlestonian Aimee B. Stevens in Pendleton, SC, to Maria Heyward in Columbia. Aimee offers her condolences on the destruction of the Heyward's house in Charleston and inquires if she saved "all her silver." She writes about living with other families who had fled Charleston and the warm "welcome given by the hospitable inhabitants" of Pendleton. 4p. June 17, 1862.
Letter from Edward Barnwell Heyward to James B. Heyward telling James that he is moving all his father's slaves from Combahee and Pocotaligo to Wateree, SC, for safety. He offers James some land nearby to move his slaves to and "rough it out" a while with him. His plan includes putting all his father's slaves in a camp in the woods "out of the wind, and driving rain, plenty of firewood, and dry ground." 8p.
Samuel Wragg Ferguson, aide-de-camp to General P.G.T. Beauregard, writes to his godmother from Manassas Junction two weeks after the First Battle of Bull Run. He writes "another such blow as that struck two weeks ago, would I think put an end to the war." He writes of bunking with "Dr. Brodie from our state" in "the grand tent sent to Genl B, as he occupies a room in the house." 6p.
Letter from James B. Heyward at Hamburgh Plantation to his wife Maria Heyward. James writes Maria about a battle at Port Royal Ferry "full of danger to our property" and his anxiety over the dangers of the war. 4p. January 3, 1862.
Letter from John W. Chambers to James B. Heyward concerning the particulars of the death of Heyward's son Nathaniel at the Second Battle of Bull Run. According to Lt. Chambers the "musketing in our part of the field had ceased [and] the men were sitting down talking and resting" when a "shell exploded fifteen feet from them." He writes about having to bury Nathaniel and a Lt. Munro in the same grave, which he marked by carving "NH - 1st SCV" on a piece of board. He also asks James about hiring Nathaniel's body servant, John. 3p. September 6, 1862.
Letter from M. Munro to Maria Heyward concerning the deaths of their sons at the Second Battle of Bull Run who were killed by the same shell, August 29, 1862. Mrs. Munro writes that she is planning on retrieving the hastily buried body of her son and since Maria's son, Nathaniel, is in the same grave she inquires whether or not Maria would like to coordinate a plan to disinter her son as well. She notes that according to her information neither body "can be disinterred alone, without some violence or exposures, offered to the precious remains,..., if either of us, undertake this work alone." 4p. September 24, 1862.
Letter from Frank Myers to James B. Heyward inquiring whether James will be renting his place another year noting that he has had "several applications" to rent the property. 1p. September 18, 1863.
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Heyward and Ferguson Family Papers, 1806-1923✖[remove]389