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Upcountry South Carolina Goes to War: Letters of the Anderson, Brockman, and Moore Families, 1853-1865
Civil War letters to and from Spartanburg, South Carolina, rich with details on the battlefront and home front
Upcountry South Carolina Goes to War chronicles the lives and concerns of the Anderson, Brockman, and Moore families of piedmont South Carolina during the late-antebellum and Civil War eras through 124 letters dated 1853 to 1865. The letters provide valuable firsthand accounts of evolving attitudes toward the war as conveyed between battlefronts and the home front, and they also express rich details about daily life in both environments.
As the men of service age from each family join the Confederate ranks and write from military camps in Virginia and the Carolinas, they describe combat in some of the war's more significant battles. Though the surviving combatants remain staunch patriots to the Southern cause until the bitter end, in their letters readers witness the waning of initial enthusiasm in the face of the realities of combat. The corresponding letters from the home front offer a more pragmatic assessment of the period and its hardships. Emblematic of the fates of many Southern families, the experiences of these representative South Carolinians are dramatically illustrated in their letters from the eve of the Civil War through its conclusion.
Upcountry South Carolina Goes to War chronicles the lives and concerns of the Anderson, Brockman, and Moore families of piedmont South Carolina during the late-antebellum and Civil War eras through 124 letters dated 1853 to 1865. The letters provide valuable firsthand accounts of evolving attitudes toward the war as conveyed between battlefronts and the home front, and they also express rich details about daily life in both environments.
As the men of service age from each family join the Confederate ranks and write from military camps in Virginia and the Carolinas, they describe combat in some of the war's more significant battles. Though the surviving combatants remain staunch patriots to the Southern cause until the bitter end, in their letters readers witness the waning of initial enthusiasm in the face of the realities of combat. The corresponding letters from the home front offer a more pragmatic assessment of the period and its hardships. Emblematic of the fates of many Southern families, the experiences of these representative South Carolinians are dramatically illustrated in their letters from the eve of the Civil War through its conclusion.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2009
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About the author
Tom Moore Craig
1 bookTom Moore Craig entered the writing scene in 1996, after he retired and finally purchased his first home computer. With spare time on his hands, he decided to start researching his rich family history. But what started as a hobby for this retired history teacher turned into a 10-year project and a 190-page book.
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July 31, 2023
This book didn’t grab me and make me want to read it (I’m not a big history fan!)
However, it was pretty interesting to see into the lives and thoughts of the “rich Rebels.” I was surprised to see how much people travelled around the state visiting friends and family, and I was surprised to learn that some slaves went with their masters to war and still cooked for and served them.
I liked learning the history of local places. The families were from Spartanburg, but did business all the way to Laurens and Greenwood. I learned that salt was hard to come by during the war; so much so that families would transport it from the Upstate to the coast when possible. That seems crazy nowadays!
However, it was pretty interesting to see into the lives and thoughts of the “rich Rebels.” I was surprised to see how much people travelled around the state visiting friends and family, and I was surprised to learn that some slaves went with their masters to war and still cooked for and served them.
I liked learning the history of local places. The families were from Spartanburg, but did business all the way to Laurens and Greenwood. I learned that salt was hard to come by during the war; so much so that families would transport it from the Upstate to the coast when possible. That seems crazy nowadays!
Displaying 1 of 1 review