Carlo Botta, the Italian historian, in his History of the War for Independence, says: "In that fierce struggle, the War of the American Revolution, the women of Carolina presented an example of fortitude more than manly. I know not the history, ancient or modern, which has recorded a story of devotion exceeding or equaling that exhibited by these heroic beings to their American country. Far from considering the epithet a reproach, they gloried and exulted in the name of Rebel women. * * Their example was * inspiring, and it is owing principally to the firmness of these patriotic Carolinians that the name, as well as the love of liberty, was not extinguished in the Southern States." In the not distant future, let us hope that some foreign historian, reading this record of facts, and touched by the witchery of the theme, may, like Botta, tell another continent, in another tongue, how the descendants of those Carolina women of the Revolution, in the third and fourth generation, "presented an example of fortitude more than manly." But he will have to add that, while the heroines of the first Revolution lived to exult with their surviving sons and brothers in a victory glorious and complete, the South Carolina Women of the Confederacy saw their cause go down in gloom and defeat; that cause which, throughout all the horrors of the Reconstruction era, they regarded and still hold in "boundless love and reverence and regret." The purpose of this book is to record, in part, the work of South Carolina women during the War for Southern Independence, not only in making banners, "binding her warriors' sash," and those offices which the cold-blooded materialist classes as "sentimental"; but woman as a potent factor in furnishing food and clothing for the men on the battle line, and for the wounded and dying in the hospital. It is confidently expected that this book will furnish abundant material not only for the poet and novelist who would forcibly portray "the strength and beauty of woman's devotion," but for the statistician and political economist who seeks to explain how the armies of the Confederate States could for over four years win many victories and hold Richmond and Charleston against tremendous odds on land and sea, the Northern ports all the time drawing freely upon Europe for men and supplies. The Commissary and Quartermaster Departments of the new government, the first year of the war, were unable to clothe and feed the armies of the South, and probably the majority of the soldiers had not the means to furnish their own uniforms. When the commissaries and quartermasters had organized their departments in 1862, 1863 and 1864, the supplies of food, clothing, and medicine scarcely ever equaled the demand, and during the last year of the war cracked corn was the chief support of many a starving regiment. It may be questioned if the war could have been prolonged for four years but for the constant and untiring aid of the women of the South. An officer, closely identified with South Carolinians, who doffed the garb of a minister of God to wear the Confederate uniform, describes the work of the women of the South in terms which, in the minutest detail, will be amply verified by letters and reports in this book. He says: "Houses were stripped of their blankets and carpets that the shivering soldier might be protected against the winter's cold. Delicately nurtured women, unaccustomed to labor, toiled the livelong day for the soldier. The morning dawn lighted them to their labors, and the midnight lamp witnessed their close. The factories being inadequate to the emergency, the handloom was made to supply the deficiency. The spinning wheel again uttered its once familiar music as it was turned by hands accustomed only to the instruments of the drawing room. Fairy fingers, used alone to toy with delicate embroidery, boldly seized and made the coarse garment of the soldier. The ordinary pursuits of life were interrupted and ordinary associations ceased." No "Sanitary" or "Christian Commission," heavily endowed by leading capitalists or government funds, brought nourishing food and medicine to the wounded or fever-stricken Confederate. South of the Potomac, it was the mission of woman to attempt, and in hundreds of thousands of cases to successfully perform, this selfimposed and unprecedented task. There can be no question of the need for such a work as this, in justice to those who are gone, and that those who come after us may rightly estimate the character and services of the womanhood of South Carolina during 1861-65; but a brief account of the origin of this book may be of interest. Mrs. Thomas Taylor, as early as 1896, had urged upon Wade Hampton Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy, of Columbia, the importance of collecting the photographs and records of women who had been active in Confederate work during the war, and, assisted by zealous co-workers, gathered valuable data regarding the establishment of Wayside Homes at the State Capital. At the Convention of the State Division, held in Abbeville in 1897, on motion of Mrs. Augustine T. Smythe, a committee was appointed "to collect statistics of Woman's Work in the War." Mrs. Smythe was appointed chairman and, with two other members of the committee Mrs. W. W. Williams, of Greenville, and Mrs. James Evans, of Florence-immediately began the work. These ladies diligently and persistently sought throughout the State for records, and invited. reports from those who had taken active part in soldiers' relief work. The section of this book relating to Hospital and Soldiers' Relief Societies is proof of the assiduity and rare judgment of Mrs. Smythe and her associates, and a cursory perusal of their report is sufficient its value to the future historian. to prove At the Convention in Greenville, in 1899, Mrs. Thomas Taylor was elected President of the South Carolina Division. By resolution, offered by Miss Bythewood, of Greenville, a State Division historical committee was created "to collect historical material with reference to publishing the same"-Miss M. B. Poppenheim, Chairman. During the years 1900, 1901, and 1902, Mrs. Taylor gave close attention to this enterprise, believing that the invaluable services of the women as a factor in the war should be demonstrated as a part of the power of the commonwealth. The subject was kept before the Chapters, and in each Annual Convention was presented in the President's address as an important consideration. At the Convention held in Sumter, Mrs. Taylor, the retiring President, recommended the appointment of "a committee, who should petition the Legislature to appropriate a sufficient sum of money to enable the Daughters of the Confederacy to publish the records of the South Carolina women, these records being necessary for the presentation of a complete history of the war." Mrs. James Conner, the President, appointed Mrs. Thomas Taylor as Chairman of such committee, with power to act. Circumstances making it impracticable to call together the representatives of the Chapters, Mrs. Taylor, accompanied by Mrs. J. W. Flinn, in January, 1902, appeared before the joint committee of the two chambers and, with the hearty cooperation of Senator J. Q. Marshall, of Richland, successfully proved to the satisfaction of the committee that the House and Senate, “in the State's interest, might consider the question whether it were worth the expenditure of the State's money to enable the association of her daughters to put into the country's history the story of her womanhood as it was displayed in the war." The committee agreed to recommend, and the Legislature subsequently confirmed, the appropriation of $500 for the purchase of 300 copies, which should be distributed to schools and institutions. The editing committee appointed by the President-Mrs. James Conner-in 1902, consisted of Mrs. Thomas Taylor, Chairman; Miss M. B. Poppenheim, Mrs. August Kohn, Miss M. B. Washington, and Mrs. A. T. Smythe, and to the excellent editorial judgment and unremitting labors of this committee, and that appointed under Mrs. Smythe's resolution in 1898, the merit and value of this work are due. The committee is indebted to Mr. A. E. Gonzales, of The State, who has offered every facility, advantage and aid at his command, and to Mr. August Kohn, of The News and Courier, whose judgment and advice have been of material assistance. Holding in lifelong recollection the constancy and devotion of those "South Carolina Women in the Confederacy" who are dead, the writer of this introduction would say to each and every survivor of that noble band: Forgive this feeble script which doth thee wrong, YATES SNOWDEN. Report of the Work of the Women of South Carolina During the Confederate War. At the Annual Convention of the South Carolina Division, Daughters of the Confederacy, held in Abbeville in December, 1898, a committee was appointed to collect statistics and facts in regard to the work of the women of this State during the Confederate War. This committee consisted of the following members: Mrs. Augustine T. Smythe, Charleston. Mrs. James Evans, Florence. Mrs. W. W. Williams, Greenville. It was intended that the report of the committee should embrace the work done by the women at their homes, whether in towns or on plantations, in soldiers' relief associations and in hospitals. Their report is now presented to you, and is necessarily very incomplete and unsatisfactory in many ways. This incompleteness comes from no want of effort on the part of the committee, as they have done everything in their power, by correspondence and otherwise, to elicit the desired information. Many of their letters were never answered, but such answers as were received were valuable and interesting. As before reported, it has been impossible to find files or even many stray numbers of newspapers published during the war, except the Charleston Mercury and the Charleston Courier, of which complete files are kept in the Library of that city. Because of this, our information as regards the lower districts is fuller. In fact, a complete history of the relief associations of Charleston could be had, but much has been omitted. MRS. AUGUSTINE T. SMYTHE, MRS. W. W. WILLIAMS. |