Four page LS by William Ferguson Colcock, United States Congressmen from South Carolina.  During the Civil War he served as Collector of the Port of Charleston (a position he held under both the Federal and Confederate Governments).  After the Civil War he had a law practice in the Beaufort area with his son-in-law, Charles Jones Colcock Hutson.  The Colcock-Hutson collection of books is in the University of South Carolina School of Law.  In this letter William is writing his son, Cornelius, who would eventually join his father’s law practice. 


Highlights of the letter:

                    Transcription:
                                                                                                                                                Charleston Jan. 20th, 1862

                                My dear Son,

            I received your letter of the 11th and was glad once more to hear from you.  I
would have written you frequently but writing is such a physical difficulty to me that
I am deprived of the pleasure of corresponding with my friends.  You know my dear
Emmeline did all my writing for me and now that she is gone I cannot find one to supply
her place with her accustomed regularity.  Minnie writes for me but as she has a great
deal to do I cannot always procure her assistance. 

            Your illusion to our dear departed one unsealed the fountain of my tears and it
has been a luxury to me to weep over your letters.  Although living in scenes of great
excitement and active employment I can never forget my dear child and her sweet
image is constantly before me.  Time only serves to embalm her memory in sacred love
within my heart and as each day passes away I am comforted with the humble hope
that I am one day nearer to a reunion with her.  I keep on the mantel piece in my
chamber her likeness and those of her dear mother and brother.  I call these pictures
the “gallery of my dead” and I love to take them up and linger over them and recall
their sweet lineaments to my memory.  You have asked, I understand, for a copy of the
 picture which I have and I will have one taken for you.  I always admired it very much
and used to tell her it looked so “ladylike” and that I preferred it to any other.

            We are living in times of grand events and God alone knows what the final &
complete issues will be.   I have an abiding confidence that under his divine guidance
we will work out our deliverance & liberty, but we will have to pass through the agony
and bloody sweat of an unparalleled revolution.   The next few months will produce
decisive events.  Our enemies are putting forth their maximum strength and will fall
back like a drunken giant exhausted by his overtaxed efforts.  We are looking anxiously
for the movements of the Burnside fleet.  It is said they are now at Hatteras but we are
yet ignorant of what point they intend to attack.  They may strike us a severe blow
somewhere on our coast, but they cannot advance far into the interior as they can
never cover their rear.

            We are all well at present. Willie and Cornelius are with Charles’ command
which has abandoned Bluffton by Gen. Drayton’s orders, and fallen back to the head
of the South May River Road.  They have been living in houses heretofore but are now
living in tents.  Everything is quiet in our neighborhood.  The enemy sometimes comes
up our river in their gun boats and destroy our houses and steal our property.  They
 have retired from the mainland and are now confined to the Islands. 

Gen. Gregg has his head quarters at Jericho.  He was not in the battle of Port
Royal Ferry being absent in Columbia attending the Convention.   Gen. Donelson of
the Tennessee Brigade is at Bindon and Gen. Pemberton at John Gregone’s house
near Pocotalig’s Station; Gen. Lee has his headquarters at Mr. Farri’s house in
Coosawhatchie and Gen. Drayton is at Hardeeville.  Gen. Evans at Adams Run and
Gen. Ripley in Charleston.  Col. Manigault commands at Georgetown.

Our dear little Adie is still suffering from her foot.  There has been caries in some
of the bones and the decayed parts are working out and it will be sometime before she
is entirely well, but the Doctor does not think she will be lame.  Her general health is
very good and she is as merry as a little bird.  I still intend to give her to your sister
and only wish she was with them now as she needs their care and culture. 

Minnie, Dora, Harry & Frank go to school & little Marion remains at home.  All
join me in love to you & Marion.

I shall always be glad to hear from you. Minnie says you must write to her and
she will answer your letter.

                                            Yours with sincere affection,

                                                                                        W. F. Colcock

Taken from the University of S.C. School of Law website: