Mary Boykin Chesnut Day 14 Camden South Carolina

   Sometimes you just have to believe that a higher power stepped in and made it all happen.  That was today.  My “Famous Civil War Woman Poster Child” and the reason for this trip has been Mary Boykin Chesnut (image 1 below), married to a Confederate statesman and soldier but against slavery herself.  She wrote what most historians agree, and won her a Pulitzer Prize posthumously, the best personal diary account of the Civil War.  Many of you will remember her as a staple in Ken Burns’ series The Civil War.  He quoted her over 100 times during the series….and for good reason.  Objective as she tried to be, Mary could see clearly that it was never going to work out for the south and that 1000s and 1000s of people would die for it.  She lost her home in Richmond, Charleston and just about every single person she cared about.  She and her older husband James Jr moved to Camden SC, first to his family home called Mulberry Plantation and later to a smaller house, Sarsfield, where both James Jr died and Mary followed him the next year at age 63. 

   The Chesnut family that she married into was famous for being one of the largest land owners  (over 4000 acres between to two plantations of Mulberry and Knights Hill) and more dubious, the most number of slaves (probably around 1000 between the multiple houses). 

   Sadly, by the time Mary’s husband James Jr inherited the land, it was heavily entailed in debt and James could only barely maintain a fraction of it.  When he died Mary was left with nothing but debt and Sarsfield house.  A sad end to such a prestigious family. 

   Mary wrote the diary from the beginning of the war to the end (1861-65) and was in most of the places where all the horrible stuff was going on because her husband was stationed there and they were buddies with President Jefferson Davis.  She revised it multiple times after the war with the intention of publishing it but died before that could happen.  Having no children, Mary left the diary with her best friend who had it published almost immediately.  One of the later revisions won it the Pulitzer.  I’m hoping that makes sense why she was so important to my study of Women of the Civil War….she lived it.  She had the money and clout to move all over the war torn areas and spoke her mind eloquently but also with a tremendous amount of fact, without it, we wouldn’t have this invaluable perspective. 

Ok, so I finally get to Camden SC today and head immediately for Mulberry Plantation (James Jr’s home where he took Mary after they wed).  Image 2. But the gates are closed.  Screw that says I.  I didn’t drive 3600 miles to be thwarted by some iron gates.  I won’t say how…but I walked all the way up onto the spectacular Chesnut front porch and set a spell in a rocking chair admiring the house and grounds. All I needed was the mint julep.  Really really beautiful and I’m glad I had it to myself.  

Then it was off to find Sarsfield, Image 3 where Mary and James spent their last years in Camden.  Bear in mind folks that NONE of this info (addresses, details, ANYTHING) is readily available….digging is the only way to find it and then dig some more.  But I did find Sarsfield and this one was locked up tight and looking very old, weedy and neglected.  (that’s when I discovered some money grubbing couple had purchased Sarsfield and wanted to turn it into multi condos.  NOOOOOO!  So far….

Lastly was to find the cemetery “knights hill cemetery”  (image 4) but nothing was coming up on google as to a location so I called the visitors center, chamber of commerce and the city archives and they all said the same thing “WE WON’T TELL YOU AND YOU WON’T GET THERE SO FORGET IT!”  And of course, you all know what that did….I WENT OUT AND FOUND IT.  But here’s where the angels stepped up to the plate…. 

I found the site of the Knights Hill Plantation that the Chesnuts built in the late 1700’s but there was a big fancy gate for a new development there.  So I just drove thru the gate to have a look around and was immediately met by a lovely gentleman, Scott Griffin who turned out to be the owner of Knights Hill Plantation now.  I explained what I was trying to do and he said he’d have someone meet me and take me to the site!!!!!  Hallelujah!!   That man, Ross, turned out to be the nicest guy and not only did he drive me to the cemetery (image 5) wayyyyyyyyyyy the heck in the wilderness of the 3000 acre plantation where I was able to take pictures, video and try not to weep but then he took me to the “slave cemetery” (image 6) also wayyyyyyyy off on the property.  But this was NOT a slave cemetery anymore.  Slaves didn’t get nice headstones and there were plenty of them here.  Turns out (I went to the archives and dug up the info) one of the descendants of  one of the Chesnut slaves stayed on the land and their descendants LOTS OF THEM, are all buried there, the last one in 1964.  Sooooo much work could be done at this place…I would truly love to come back and do research and restoration as nobody seems to know who any of these people are.    A million thanks again to Scott, Ross and Paul for their incredible kindness to a complete stranger.  I’ll keep you posted and send you a copy of the film when it’s finished. I couldn't have done this without you.  And cute puppies too!!!

Mary’s tombstone reads  "Rest and Drink Thy Fill of Pure Immortal Streams".  With a little luck, we'll keep her incredible legacy going around the world.  

Mary and James Jr Chesnut

Mulberry Plantation

Sarsfield House

the entrance plaque at Knights Hill Plantation

John Chesnut Civil War

one of the descendants of the original slave family

I’ll process all the video and pictures when I get home.  Tonight I’m treating (hey, happy Halloween!!) myself to a hotel room, a big bed, a hot shower and a hot meal.  Life is truly one big fat gift.  Hugs from the road.