The following letter was written by 21 year-old Henry Gray (1844-1900), the son William T. Gray (1814-1856) and Gracy Ann Bates (1815-Aft1865) of Gadsden, South Carolina. He wrote the letter to 18 year-old Unity Anne Gray (1846-1927), one of nine siblings ranging in age from 10 to 32 in 1865.

Not certain which South Carolina regiment Henry served in, I looked for Henry’s obituary, and found it published in a Columbia newspaper in July 1900. It informs us that “Mr. Henry Gray of lower Richland, a prominent citizen and successful planter, after a brief illness, died at his home in Gadsden…aged 56….He was a gallant soldier in the Confederate army…” No specific regiment identified. Since he mentioned a comrade named Frank Joiner in his letter. I searched for him and found Frank Joyner (1842-1910) of Gadsden whose obituary in 1910 claimed he was “a brave Confederate soldier and was wounded once during the war but fought until the surrender,” but again, no regiment was identified. Finally, in Fold3, I found J. F. Joyner, who enlisted on 8 April 1861 at Gadsden, So. Carolina, in Capt. Ray’s Co. H, 6th South Carolina Infantry. I could not find Henry on the roster with Frank so concluded they were not in the same regiment but obviously serving near each other in the Richmond defenses. By process of elimination, I concluded that Henry Gray must have served in Co. I, 1st South Carolina Infantry (Haygood’s) who manned the Confederate lines below Richmond—quartered in their log huts for winter at the time—but who fought to the bitter end at Appomattox. [See—Memoirs of the First South Carolina Regiment of Volunteer Infantry in the Confederate War for Independence from April 12, 1861 to April 10, 1865.]

In his letter, Henry expresses grave concern for his property in Richland county—some twenty miles southeast of Columbia, fearing that Sherman’s army might pass through there and “destroy my home.” While a portion of Sherman’s army marched through Orangeburg, they remained west of the Congaree river as they converged on Columbia. Henry also shares his thoughts on the Confederate Congress’s proposal to add Negroes to the ranks of their regiments and the dilemma it posed.

Transcription

Richmond, Virginia
February 12th 1865

My dear sister,

Received your kind letter some [days] ago and you may be sure I was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you was all well. I received the box that mother sent me some time ago and for which I return my most grateful thanks. Give my love to my mother and to all of the family.

I have no news that would interest you. The Yankees here are lying quiet, but I understand that Sherman is making considerable progress in our beloved old state and I am so afraid they will get my home so l cannot hear from it. I sincerely hope that our men can be enabled to whip and [ ] Sherman’s vagabond horde of vandals before they ever reach and destroy my home.

It is generally talked and is given considerable credence by some that it is the intentions of our authorities to bring in the negroes and I hope they will if by that means we can accomplish anything. But I fear that if they take any more hands from the fields we shall all perish to death in a heap together for I have not drawn but one quarter of a pound of meat in the last six days and the commissary says he does not know when we will get any more. If we cannot get enough to eat now, what will we do if they bring in the negroes? At that rate, it will all be the consumers & no producers. And again, if we do not bring the negroes in, the Yankees will overrun our country and destroy everything so that we would be forced to surrender.

I will let this dark matter rest and bring my short letter to a close by saying write soon while you have the chance to your affectionate brother, — Henry Gray

(P. S.) Frank Joiner is a going to have a box sent him from home and can you send me anything you wish by or in his box. I would be glad for you to send me a chicken or two anyhow. Nothing more. Write soon. — H. G.