Lot 490

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Description:

South Carolina Civil War correspondence of Capt. Godfrey Leaphart dated June 22, 1861-June 12, 1864, consisting mostly of letters written by the Leaphart brothers Godfrey and Sherod to their sister Caroline and Mother Suzanne of Columbia and Lexington, South Carolina. With accounts of experiences at battles such as Bull Run; approximately 23 pieces together with:
letter dated September 28, 1816 written from Fort Moultrie in the Charleston Harbor by Major James Bankhead addressed to Colonel Robert Butler requesting a Court Martial for Lt. Henderson;
and another letter from J. McInnis to his daughter Amelia McInnis of Charleston dated June 5, 1862 from South Santee, SC mentioning the Yankee blockade on the Santee River. (27pcs)

Provenance: North Carolina private collection.

Other Notes: Most of the letters included in the Leaphart Family papers were written during the Civil War by brothers Godfrey (1825-1891) and Sherod Luther Leaphart (1830-1886), sons of Michael Leaphart (1795-18760 and his wife Susan Leaphart (1805-1876), all residents of Lexington County, South Carolina. Godfrey Leaphart was elected captain of Company C, 20th South Carolina Regiment on 10 December 1861 and served with that organization until the end of the war. He was promoted to major in 1865. Later he was elected to the South Carolina legislature (1876-1884, 1890-1891). Sherod Luther Leaphart enlisted in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment in 1861 and moved through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant and captain. After the war he was South Carolina's Comptroller General and State Treasurer.
Of the twenty-six letters in this collection, eight were written from the field by Godfrey Leaphart to his sister; eight were from S. L. Leaphart to his sister or mother; and the remainder were written by family members or friends. All of the letters, except one written in 1816, were sent from 1861 to 1864. In several of the letters, Captain Godfrey Leaphart described his activities while in service near Charleston. In a letter headed Sullivans Island, Nov. 6th 1862, written to -Dear Sister,- he mentioned that -When I was at home about two months ago, [his daughter Alice] ask me one day how many Yankees I had killed, when I told her none, she said well I dont know what you have been doing all this time.- In another letter to his sister, this one dated Dec. 5th, 1862, he mentioned that his regiment was working building breast works on Sullivans Island and that his regiment of 900 men had just -exchanged guns for Enfield Rifles.- Writing to his sister from the same place May 7th, 1863, he reported -Everything is quiet,- but -the want of provisions for our army is to be more dreaded than the Yankee guns.-
S. L. Leaphart in a letter to his sister headed Fairfax C. H. [Virginia] dated June 1861, mentioned that Col. Maxcy Gregg was very popular with his men and in a letter written July 31st, 1861 informed his sister that she could find an account of recent battles from -the two letters...published in the Carolinian by Lieut. Gaillard of our company.- S. L. was wounded at Gettysburg, captured by the Federals and subsequently sent to a prison camp on Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, Ohio. Three letters written while S. L. was a prisoner-of-war survive in the collection.

    Condition:
  • All with creases, small tears, faded ink and other normal wear as expected with correspondence of this age.


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September 9, 2012 1:00 PM EDT
West Columbia, SC, US

Charlton Hall

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