Descriptive Summary
Wilson, Hugh
H.
Hugh H. Wilson U.S. Civil
War papers,
1862-1868
1 inch (1
folder)
MS #125
Rice University,
Fondren Library Materials are in
English.
Many of these letters
are courtship letters toWilson's future wife, Mary Grier, containing
information on the aspirations and attitudes of the South Carolina upper
classes during the U.S. Civil War period. Wilson also relays information about
hospitals, medicine, schools, cemteries, camp life and the military, and the
issue of conscription.
Biographical Note
Hugh H. Wilson was a resident of Sumter District, South Carolina. He
owned several slaves (at least) and ran a farm or plantation with them. In the
summer of 1862 he began to court Mary Grier (or, at least, one letter has a
pencilled-in notation by the name "Mrs. Grier": "Our grandmother"), a resident
of Cheraw. In October, Mary and Hugh were married.
In the meantime, Hugh Wilson was searching for an appropriate position
in the South Carolina army. Concerned with various possibilities of the
Conscription Act and its Exemption Bill, Wilson sought a position either in
medical or commissary work. Exploiting a family connection with the Witherspoon
family, he finally became quartermaster sergeant on the staff of Col. James H.
Witherspoon, 8th Regiment of the South Carolina Reserves, assigned to coastal
defense.
That Wilson survived the war is attested by a letter written in 1868. An
oblique reference in a letter written in 1874 seems to indicate he was living
in that year. The course of his subsequent life is unknown.
Scope and Contents
The letters of H.H. Wilson consist of 21 autograph letters with 7 drafts
for the letters. In addition, a letter of January 3-4, 1864, is preserved in an
undated newspaper clipping, and there is a letter of 1874 written to Mrs.
Wilson on the death of her child by Betty M. McLeod. With the exception of one
letter, written in 1868, all of Wilson's letters cover the period from
1862-1864.
Many of the letters are courtship letters. They contain much information
on the aspirations and attitudes of the South Carolina upper classes. In
addition, Wilson pays special attention to hospitals and medicine, schools, and
cemeteries. Some material is contained in the letters which pertains to camp
life and the military. Much of the material concerns the problem of
conscription.
Arrangement
Letters are in chronological order. In cases in which a draft letter is
also present, the draft is filed after the letter, and in the listing is
indicated by a "d" after the date.
Processing InformationFinding aid prepared by John Fowler,
1978.
Access RestrictionsThis material is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Hugh H. Wilson U.S. Civil War
papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.
Preferred Citation
Hugh H. Wilson U.S. Civil War papers, 1862-68, MS #125, Woodson Research
Center, Fondren Library, Rice University]
Index Terms
Correspondents
Wilson, Mary
Grier--Correspondence.
McLeod, Betty
M.--Correspondence.
Subject:
Courtship--South
Carolina.
Places
South
Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United
States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
South Carolina--Social life
and customs --19th century.
Formats
Correspondence.
Personal papers.
Family papers.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. Hardin Craig, Jr. (granddaughter of Wilson), 1956.
1
Hugh Wilson Correspondence
The following is a chronological listing of the letters
in this collection. A subject index follows this list.
1839 August 10 C. Wadsworth to [D.]
McNair
1860 June 30 H. H. Wilson to "Miss
Mary"
1860 July 11 H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
1862 July 11 d.* H. H. W. to
"Dear"
1862 July 21 H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
1862 July 21 d.* H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
1862 July 23 H. H. W. to [Mar]y
1862 August 6 H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
1862 August 22 H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
1862 August 22 d. H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
[1862] August 29 H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
[[1862 August] 29] d. H. H. W. to "Miss
Mary"
1862 September 8 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 September 8 d. H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 September 11 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 September 20 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 September 25 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 September 25 d. H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 October 1 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 October 10 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 October 15 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 October 15 d. H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 October 23 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 October 24 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1862 December 5 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1863 May 22 H. H. W. to "Dear
Wife"
1863 June 23 H. H. W. to "My Dear
Marie"
1868 July 3 H. H. W. to "Dear
Wife"
1874 February 20 Bettie M. McLeod to "My Dear
Marie"
n.d. Newspaper clipping publishing Wilson
letter
*d. denotes draft
Correspondence Index
This index is primarily topical. Persons
whose full names are given--or who are obviously related to clearly
identifiable persons--and military personnel of the rank of major or higher,
are listed as well.
Place names occur mostly in itineraries of travel (most of which can be
found under the heading: "railroads,"); those few places which cannot be
disregarded are indexed.
All entries refer to
finished letters. In cases where the draft contains information not found in
the final letter, the date of the letter and the symbol "d" are
listed.
Antietam, Battle of 1862
[1862, 9-25]
Artillery Batteries n.d.
[1862, 6-23]
[1863, 5-22]
[1862, 9-11]
Benbow, Col. C.S.A.
[1862, 9-11]
Bleeding (Medical procedure)
[1862, 9-11]
Blockade of civilian traffic 2
[186, 9-11]
Camp Hampton
[1866, 12-5]
Camp life
[1862, 12-5]
[1863, 6-23]
Casualties
[1862, 7-11]
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 8-6]
[1862, 9-8]
[1862,9-11]
[1862, 10-15]
Cavalry
[1863,6-23]
Cemeteries
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 8-6]
Charleston Mercury
[1868, 7-3]
Chesterfield Academy
[1862, 8-22]
Church Services (Presbyterian)
[1862, 10-23]
Cider
[ 1862, 9-11]
Civilian desertion of countryside on CSA occupation
[ 1863, 5-22]
Coit's Battery
[5-22]
Colzy, Sam 1862
[1863, 7-11]
[1862, 9-8]
[1862, 10-10]
[1862, 8-22]
Commissary Department (C.S.A.)
[1862, 9-8]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-20]
Conscription
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-25]
[1862,10-1]
[1862,10-1]
[1863,6-23]
Conscript Law (in South Carolina)
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-25]
Conscript Law (Exemption Bill)
[1862, 10-10]
[1863, 6-23]
Cooper, Eli
[1862, 7-11]
Cooperation between Confederate and state government
[1862, 10-15]
[1862, 10-15d]
Corinth, Battle of 1862
[1862, 8-22]
Cotton
[1862, 8-6 (embargo)]
[1862, 9-20]
Cox, Mrs. from Masiou
[1863, 6-23]
Crane, Dr. and Mrs. 1862
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 10-10]
Crane, [Elizabeth] "Lizzie"
[1862, 8-22]
Deserters (C.S.A.) executed
[n.d.]
Dick, J.H.
[1862, 7-11]
Edgeworth Seminary
[1862, 7-21]
8th Regiment South Carolina Reserves
[1862, 8-22 and n.d.]
English, T.R., Rev.
[1862, 10-23]
Family connections
[1862, 6-30]
Foreigners, attitudes toward
[1862, 9-20]
Furlough
[1863, 5-22]
Friendship
[1862, 7-11]
Gilmer, Congressman
[1862, 7-21]
Grier, Mrs.
[n.d.]
Hollywood Cemetary
[1862, 7-21d]
[1862, 7-23]
Hospitals
[1862, 7-21]
[1863, 5-22]
[1863, 6-23]
Human Nature
[1862, 8-29]
Jenkins, Micah Gen. C.S.A.
[1862, 9-11]
Jews
[1862, 10-10]
Joint stock companies
[1862, 8-6]
[1862, 12-5]
[K]no[w]-nothing Party
[1862, 7-21]
LaCaste, Miller
[1862, 9-8]
[1862, 9-11]
LaC[a]ste, Sam
[1862, 8-6]
Lee, Stephen Dill (?) Col. C.S.A.
[1862, 7-11]
Mayes, William (Dr.)
[1862, 7-11]
[1862, 7-21]
McBride, James
[1862, 7-21]
McCutcheon, George
[1862, 9-8]
Medical personnel
[1862, 7-11]
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 7-23]
[1862, 8-6]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862,9-20]
[1863, 6-23]
Methodist College
[1862, 7-21]
Mills, Mr. (H.H.W.'s neighbor)
[1862,8-6]
[1862, 12-5]
Mills, Anderson
[1862, 9-8]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 10-15]
Mills, William
[1862, 9-8]
[1862, 10-15]
Molloy, T.
[1862, 8-6]
Montgomery, Mrs. (H.H.W.'s sister)
[1862, 9-8]
[1862, 9-11]
Montgomery, John
[1862, 10-15]
Montgomery, Sue (H.H.W.'s niece)
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 9-20]
[1862, 12-5]
Moore, Hannah
[1862, 9-25]
Morehead, Governor
[1862, 7-21]
Moses, F.J. Col. C.S.A.
[1862, 7-21]
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
[n.d.]
Mount Zion, S.C.
[1862, 8-22]
Music
[1862, 9-25]
Negro Slaves
[n.d.]
[1862, 12-5]
[1862, 10-23]
[1862, 10-15]
[1862, 10-10]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-8]
Newspapers
[1862, 9-8]
[1868, 7-3]
[1862, 7-21]
Passports, internal
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 9-20]
Plantation management
[n.d.]
Planter's Cotton Bank
[1862, 8-6]
Potatoes
[1862, 12-5]
Powder mills
[1862, 8-6]
Prices cloth
[n.d. ]
[1863, 5-22 bacon]
Prisoners, Confederate
[1862, 8-22]
Railroads
[1862, 7-11]
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 10-10]
[1862, 10-24]
[n.d.]
Reserves, South Carolina
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-25]
[1862, 10-1]
[1862, 10-15]
[1862, 8-22]
Rice
[1862, 10-10]
Rich and poor, conflict between
[1862, 10-10]
Richmond Cemetary
[1862, 7-21]
Richmond General Hospital
[1862, 7-21]
Roberts, Lt. Col. C.S.A.
[1862, 9-11]
Rutledge, Col. C.S.A.
[n.d.]
Sanduskey, Ohio
[1862, 8-22]
Sasnasky (sic.), Madam, High School of 1862
[1862, 9-20]
Savannah, Georgia
[1862, 9-20]
School-mates
[1862, 9-20]
Schools
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 9-20]
[1862, 10-23]
Scott, Mrs. (H.H.W.'s sister)
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 8-6]
Scott, John (H.H.W.'s nephew)
[1862, 7-11]
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 5-22]
[n.d.]
Scott, May (H.H.W.'s niece)
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 12-5]
Scudder, "Sissie" 1862
[1862, 9-20]
[1862, 9-25]
"Second Revolution"
[1862, 7-21]
Servants (free)
[1868, 7-3]
Shaw, Dwight
[1862, 9-8]
Shaw, Mary
[1862, 8-22]
Sicknesses
[1874, 2-20]
[1868, 7-3]
[1863, 5-22]
[1862, 10-23]
[1862, 10-15]
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 8-6]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 10-10]
Smythe, Bob
[1862, 9-20]
South Carolina, invasion of, 1861
[1862, 9-11]
Sullivan Island, South Carolina
[n.d.]
Sumter Gazette
[1862, 9-8]
Supply wagons
[1862, 12-5]
Taxes and tarriffs
[1862, 7-21]
Teachers (and Professors)
[1862, 10-23]
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 9-20]
Telegraph
[1862, 9-8]
Thornwell, Dr. and Mrs.
[1862, 8-6]
[1862, 9-20]
V[arun], James
[1862, 7-21]
[1862, 10-23]
Virginia Campaign (1862)
[1862, 9-11]
Walker, William S. Gen. C.S.A.
[n.d.]
Whilden, Maj. C.S.A.
[1862, 9-11]
White's Battery
[1863, 6-23]
Wilson, Dr.
[1863, 6-23]
Wilson, Clara
[1862, 10-23]
Wilson, Moultri
[n.d.]
Wilson, R.E.
[1862, 9-8]
Wilson, W.W.
[1862, 10-23]
Witherspoon, Capt. C.S.A.
[1862, 9-20]
Witherspoon, A.J., Rev.
[1862, 8-22]
Witherspoon, Dunham, from Yorkville 1862
[1862, 9-20]
Witherspoon, James H. Col. C.S.A.
[1862, 8-22]
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-20]
[n.d.]
Witherspoon, J[ohn] E.
[1862, 9-11]
[1862, 9-20]
Word's Battery
[1863, 6-23]
Worley Battery
[1863, 6-23]