December 31, 1862 and January 1, 1863 are Red Letter Local History Days.
On account of the 2021 "Materials Monday : Letters" theme, I came across an unknown (or perhaps unremembered) first person account of what actually transpired on Camp Saxton on 1 January 1863 during the Emancipation Day celebration. It is good to hear about the festivities and schedule of the momentous day from yet another eye witness of the event.
The title of the document "Notes and Extracts from Letters - Beaufort, S.C. 1862 - 1863, During Occupancy by Federal Troops" by Kate Foote and Harriet Foote Hawley (wife of Colonel, afterwards General Joseph H. Hawley [sic] does not give away the presence of this wonderful gem of local history. It was only during the selection process of deciding on which items to feature in the Facebook series that I learned of this treasure. It is a great complement to other first person accounts of the day featured heretofore in Connections. The most complete inclusion of eye witness accounts was posted in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Day of Jubilee.
The document is housed in the Miscellaneous Manuscript Collections with a call number of SC MM#7. It is beyond bland - so this is a particular case when one should not judge a book by its cover. The item is thrice appropriate for the "Materials Monday : Letters" theme as there is one complete letter and extracts from at least two more letters contained in the document. The brown paper binder has a letter from Harriet Ward Foot Taylor (Mrs. Herbert A. Taylor) to Beaufort Township Library's Mabel Runnette dated 25 January 1939, in which Mrs. Taylor describes how the Library acquired the document:
My dear Miss Runette [sic]:
At last __ and it is a very long last, I am sending you a copy of the letters from my two aunts written from Beaufort during the latter part of 1862 and early 1863. I hope they will add to the interesting documents of that period which your library already has.
I am sending a copy to the Dormans, as they have been much interested in my family's connection with the town. As you will see from the letters, Mrs. Hawley moved from her first house into one on Bay Street & this house I should be glad to have identified. When I was in Beaufort three years ago, I had forgotten that she lived there altho' [sic] I knew she was in that general neighborhood.
Sincerely yours,
Harriet Ward Foote Taylor (Mrs. Herbert A.)
Included are three pages typed of "Miss Kate Foote's account" mostly of her living conditions, a dinner party she held, and her interactions with some of the freed enslaved. She mentions General Terry, a court-martial, Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Peck, Col. Chatfield of the 6th Connecticut, and her brother-in-law Col. Hawley.
The transcriptions of undated letters written by Mrs. Hawley runs from page 4 to page 6 of the 7 paged document. In her letter, Mrs. Hawley offers another description of the festivities on "New Year's Day at Beaufort, S. C."
Jan. 1, 1863. If you at the north had half as happy a New Year's day as we in the Southern Department you enjoyed a great deal. I dare say that many of you remembered that it was Emancipation Day -- but we saw and felt it with every breath we drew. Some days ago Gen. [Rufus] Saxton issued the invitation. It would have taken a heavy storm indeed to have kept us from accepting this invitation.
But no morning ever rose more magnificently beautiful, cloudlessly clear and cool and bracing, yet not so cool but that a delicate woman might remain out of doors the whole day. It seemed early when we started for the camp of the black regiment, but many were the bright and happy looking black faces we passed and many the New Year's greetings we received from the owners thereof.
The wharf was already crowded with negroes, gay in their bright clean turbans and their best things generally, and it took some time for the motley and most interesting and amusing multitude to get safely stowed away in Gen. Saxton's little steamer, the Flora, which he had kindly offered for the occasion.
The camp being four miles distant from Beaufort and the road a heavy one through the deep sand, of course the sail down the beautiful river was to be coveted -- unless by the happy few who possessed horses.
But the crowd was orderly and quiet and the sail delightful, especially as the band of the 8th Maine gave us music.
Arrived at the landing, the regiment was drawn up to receive us and were most kindly greeted by Col. Higginson and the other officers - the grand live oaks standing out clear against the southern sky, in the foreground the black soldiers in their bright red trousers and nearer the water groups of negroes of all ages, all styles of costume, their queer made "dugouts" and flatboats crowded with them and the steamer's boat also filled.
The platform for the speakers was erected a little way back from the shore in a grove of live oaks said to be the most beautiful one on the Island and thither we proceeded.
The principal guests and the ladies being seated, prayer was offered by the Chaplain of the regiment and then the President's Proclamation was read by Dr. [William Henry] Brisbane, one of the commissioners for the sale of lands, a man who, as Col. Higginson said, having in his early manhood given freedom to his own slaves, it seemed fitting should now in his maturer years be permitted to read the the tidings of freedom to others.
A beautiful stand of colors was then presented to the regiment by Mr. French in a very neat and earnest speech on behalf of friends in New York, and as Col. Higginson received the unfurled banner in his hand and turned to reply, a single quavering voice, evidently that of an aged negro, burst out into the song: "My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet Land of Liberty."
Instantly other voices among them joined in, -- the audience on the platform, much moved, would have joined also, but waving his hand and saying 'leave them to themselves,' Col. Higginson silenced us and the song went on swelling louder and fuller till the whole regiment had joined and all the great crowd also. Tears filled many eyes around me - for myself I could hardly check the sobs, as I thought, for the first time now they have a country; it is to them now a Land of Liberty.
When they had finished, Col. Higginson spoke most eloquently though he said that words seemed weak and useless after such an answer as had been already given. He had heard many songs sung in camp in the six weeks he had been with them - but never this - they could not sing it before, for they never had a country before. All their songs had been sad, almost touching minor strains, speaking the suppressed sadness born of ages of oppression, and he repeated a verse of which I can recall but a line or two: ''
"I know de moon rise and I know de star rise,
O mourners, lay my body down, --
I know de moon rise and I know de star rise
I want to get to Jordan to lay dis body down."
But, now he said they should know the moon rise and the start rise only no more; for them too the sun of liberty had risen.
I can give no adequate idea of this address. You, who are familiar with his strong earnest mind as a writer, and his graceful manner as a speaker can imagine what he would say and how well he would say it on such an occasion. I know one tough old soldier out on the edge of the crowd, one of a Connecticut regiment, was heard to say with a suspicious winking of both eyes at once, that "It was very affecting, wasn't it."
Finally he called up a sergeant and a corporal and committed the colors to them with a most solemn and earnest charge to each.
They were intelligent and fine looking black men, and he requested them to say a few words to their friends among the audience. They each made a short address showing how well they understood and how deeply they felt what they were fighting for and especially urging others to enlist. One of them referred in a very neat manner which brought out shouts of laughter from the crowd consisted of women, saying that if it had been the Fourth of July, or anything of that kind, there would have been more men than women present, but they were so afraid of having to enlist that the men dared not come.
Then Gen. Saxton, greeted with rousing cheers, made a short practical address and several other speakers followed.I ought perhaps to have said that both Col. Higginson and Mr. French were repeatedly interrupted by enthusiastic applause and that the President and everybody else kept getting three cheers.
The final ode written for the occasion was sung, and then Col. Higginson told us he had invited a great multitude there, and he couldn't promise that they would all get fed, but he would say that ten oxen had been roasted for them within twelve hours, and a large quantity of hard bread provided with which most of them were familiar and all of them ought to be. So we adjourned to the barbecue grounds and ate a little of the beef and bread, and then the boat was ready and a great crowd passed down to the wharf and on board again, and a still greater one dispersed in other directions.
But such a good natured and well behaved crowd it was. Not an oath or a drunken man did I hear or see during the entire day. I did not even see any rude jostling.
There were probably 2500 people there, indeed I heard it estimated at 3000, though I thought that too high.
But I certainly never saw any such number collected at the North, so quiet and well conducted on a day of public rejoicing.
I think I shall not need the sprig of live oak which I broke from one of the trees that overhung the platform to make me remember that day. It would not be easy for me to forget it. I thank God that I saw it as I did."
As regular readers may have surmised, the BDC is often presents staff with unique and interesting research materials to share with you! Please contact the Beaufort District Collection at 843-255-6468 or email bdc@bcgov.net for additional information about the people, places, and themes relating to the history, culture and natural environment of Beaufort County, Jasper County and Hampton County in South Carolina's lowcountry region. Current hours of operation are listed on the Beaufort County Library website.
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