Letter from John Lynch to Louisa (?) concerning family news. John writes that he is tired of hearing so little news about the war and he hopes "to see the war ended without a general battle." He also wonders what congress in Washington is doing and expresses hope that they "act with a spirit of wisdom and justice, different from that of Lincoln and his advisers." July 16, 1861. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes that several parents have sent remittances for the school year but she fears "few will be able to return if the war continues." July 6, 1861. 4p.
John Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about purchasing mules and a wagon for the Bishop's property and discusses the planting of crops. June 8, 1861. 3p.
Second letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch on this date. John describes a flag the Ursulines have made for the Emmett Guards writing, "it is the common infantry size, on one side blue, with Palmetto tree, with an Irish Harpleaning against the trunk..." He has heard the guard may be disbanding and, if so, asks the Bishop to offer it for sale to "some of your Irish Companies." He informs the Bishop that the telegraph is working again and they are being deluged with news about the attack on Fort Sumter. April 12, 1861. 3p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning preparations being made on one of the Bishop's properties. John writes that "your negroes have not yet arrived" and fears the lack of field hands and a shortage of corn may impact the season's crop. May 24, 1861. 2p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing his attempt to secure corn for the Bishop and his negotiations with a potential overseer for one of the Bishop's properties. May 14, 1861. 4p.
Letter from Francis Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch responding to his inquiry of boarding room in Cheraw for those wishing to flee Charleston. He also touches on his shoe business, mentioning paying patent rights on a tanning process, the use of fennel, salt peter and salt in the tanning process and the delivery of 1000 pairs of shoes to the Confederacy. November 16, 1861. 4p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning news from the Bishop's plantation and his medical practice. John writes about the ongoing construction at the plantation and of a runaway slave, Emmett, who was briefly jailed but escaped. John told the overseer's son that "if Emmett should come around the plantation to tell him to come in and go to work as I did not blame him for trying to escape from prison." He also confides in the Bishop that his medical practice is on the verge of blossoming "if bigotry does not override everything." November 13, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and a proposition to house the Sisters of Mercy from Charleston if they should come to Columbia to nurse the sick soldiers hospitalized there. October 17, 1861. 4p.
John Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the deteriorating condition of a house on one of the Bishop's plantations and that it is too dangerous for the overseer, Mr. Buff, to continue to live there. August 16, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about family matters and news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste describes how the sisters are sewing banners and flags for various companies noting "is it not queer for nuns to be engaged preparing flags for war?" She also thinks that business would return to normal if "other states would hurry and come out of the Union." January 8, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Madame Antonia in Baltimore to brother, Bishop Patrick Lynch, asking him to say three masses for her in honor of St. Joseph. February 20, 1861. 2p.
Anna Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with updates on the condition of their sister, Julia. Their mother, visiting Walterboro to help care for Julia, "no longer entertains any hope of her recovery." February 14, 1861. 2p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning plans associated with one of the Bishop's properties, writing "I did not know whether you still intended sending the negroes over." He also writes of recent news of an accidental cannon discharge fired from "Cummins" Point that struck Fort Sumter stating, "Such carelessness or tricks might lead to serious results although it may show with what accuracy the guns can be worked." March 9, 1861. 1p.
Letter from Francis Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the success of his shoe business. Francis writes that he already has orders for 2000 pairs of Brogans. June 28, 1861. 1p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes about new boarders and students and a conversation she had with a young lady who wished to convert to Catholicism who, she later found out, was rumored to be "disreputable." November 17, 1861. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She writes at length about a troubled sister that she does not want in the Convent, suggesting instead that they pay her board at the local asylum. October 25, 1861. 4p.
A letter from Frederick Grimke to Anna R. Frost describing his trip to and arrival in Philadelphia. Grimke discusses a recent election and the ways in which local newspapers have reported on the political situation.
Copy of letter sent from Bishop Patrick Lynch to Francis Lynch. Bishop Lynch writes to Francis concerning a number of Charleston residents who are inquiring about leaving the lowcountry for Cheraw over uncertainty with the war. He also tells Francis to allay their father's fears over a Union invasion of Charleston, likening the panic in the city after the recent fall of Port Royal with that "at Washington, after the battle of Manassas." November 13, 1861. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursulines, including a light-hearted incident of a drunken soldier who was found on the grounds of the Convent. December 22, 1861. 5p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing an applicant for an overseer position at one of the Bishop's plantations. John appears to like the man and his qualifications but fears "he might not take a sufficient control over the negroes, if it became necessary to use harsh means." August 27, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Francis Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning his shoe business. Francis asks the Bishop to collect payment from Colonel Hatch, Quartermaster General, and deposit it in his account in Charleston to cover another note. The Bank of South Carolina has refused Francis' offer to use Confederate bonds to cover the note. September 19, 1861. 2p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning a tax collector seeking payment from the Convent. John is unsure of the Convent's tax liability and asks the Bishop for assistance. He hopes the Bishop can travel to Columbia from Charleston soon to attend to the matter but writes, "I fear from the stopping of the telegraph today that the war has commenced." April 12, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Anna Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch offering condolences over the loss of the cathedral in the Charleston fire of December, 1861. December 14, 1861. 2p.
A letter from Frederick Grimke to Anna R. Frost focusing on war news and politics, the usurping of power by the Federal government, postal relations between the Confederacy and the USA, and France and Great Britain's failure to formally recognize the Southern Confederacy.
A letter from Frederick Grimke to Anna R. Frost, giving a description of Walterboro, South Carolina circa 1815, and mentioning his meeting decades earlier with Richard Anderson, father of the commander of Robert Anderson of Ft. Sumter, who had served in the Revolutionary War in Charleston and had been imprisoned with Grimke's father, John F. Grimke.
Short letter from Francis Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch requesting his presence in Cheraw and mentioning a recent order of shoes from "Col. Hatch." May 5, 1861. 1p.
Francis Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning his flourishing shoe business. Francis describes sending 1000 pair of shoes to the Confederate government in addition to those already provided to Col. L. M. Hatch. September 7, 1861. 3p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy, including a lengthy description of her troubled relationship with one of the sisters at the convent. September 8, 1861. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about preparations for the upcoming school year at the Ursuline Academy. She also mentions how the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland, attempting to help nurse Confederates afflicted with typhoid fever in Virginia, "were refused a passage by Lincoln's men." August 27, 1861. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing how the sisters are embroidering a flag for the "Kirkwood Rangers" of Camden. August 24, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Francis Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning a series of financial transactions he needs assistance with. In one instance he hopes to secure a shipment of leather before the 15th "when duties will be levied on imports." March 9, 1861. 2p.
Anna Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing the declining health of their sister, Julia, and hopes that "she may live until a Priest reaches here." January 21, 1861. 4p.
Francis Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch apprising him of his intentions to send $500 to a Dr. Park for the "right of his patent." October 26, 1861. 1p.
Francis Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick about forming a partnership with a Mr. Murphy to expand his shoe business believing it "highly important to push the production of shoes now." May 3, 1861. 2p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch repeating the news concerning the deterioration of the house on one of the Bishop's properties. August 24, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and a suggestion that the Bishop preach one Sunday in Columbia while all "the best heads of the state" are in session. December 29, 1861. 5p.
Henrietta Lynch writes to brother-in-law, Bishop Patrick Lynch, with news about measles spreading among the family in Cheraw. She also mentions an early blockade of Charleston which the Bishop holds "little hope of being broken." January 29, 1861. 2p.
This letter from Capt. Thomas West Daggett (1828-1893) to South Carolina Gov. Francis Wilkinson Pickens (1805-1869) was written from All Saints Parish, South Carolina, on June 1, 1861. Daggett was captain of the Waccamaw Light Artillery and in charge of the coastal defenses from Winyah Bay in Georgetown Co., South Carolina, to Little River Inlet in Horry Co., South Carolina. In the letter he resigns as captain of that unit and states his reasons for doing so.
A newspaper sketch of the Battle of Fort Sumter. The illustration reads 'The main battery at Fort Sumter guns bearing on Fort Moultrie and the channel during the action of April 12.'
