"6- LUCY PICKENS: FIRST LADY OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONFEDERACY

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1 After lunch Presdent John B. Edmunds, USC-Spartanburg, convened the busness meetng. He announced that the 1983 meetngs would be held at Newberry College. Secretary-Treasurer A.V. Huff, Jr., Furman, presented the fnancal report and submtted the followng slate of offcers: Presdent: Walter B. Edgar (Unversty of South Carolna) Vce Presdent: M. Foster Farley (Newberry) Secretary-Treasurer: A.V. Huff, Jr., (Furman) Edtors of the Proceedngs: Calvn Smth and Valds O. Lumans (USC-Aken) Executve Commttee: Joseph T. Stukes (Francs Maron) They were elected unanmously. ncomng Presdent Edgar adjourned the sesson. At a South Carolna sesson at 2:30 P.M. n the Jackson Lbrary Ken Donovan, staff hstoran at Fortress Lousbourg n Nova Scota, presented a paper on "John Saunders: A Loyalst Captan n South Carolna, " Robert S. Lambert, Clemson, presded and commented. At the concluson of the afternoon sesson the Assocaton adjourned to Barret House, the home of former Congessman Wllam Jennngs Bryan Dorn. Mr. Dorn hosted a recepton for the two assocatons to the delght of all. 4 A.V. Huff, Jr. Secretary-Treasurer j. f ( ( --rl p bl1.c, so-v.t:jv t>tj;a, "6- LUCY PCKENS: FRST LADY OF THE SOUTH CAROLNA CONFEDERACY Emly L. Bull A 1192 n Wllowbrook Cemetary n Edgefeld, South Carolna, amd tumbled-over crosses and rusted ron fences, s a neatly kept square contanng the remans of Governor Francs W. Pckens and hs famly. n the corner, two rows from Pckens, les hs thrd wfe, Lucy Holcombe Pckens, the tame nscrpton on her concrete slab betrayng the legends that lve after her: THS STONE S ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF A BEATFUL AND GRACOUS LADY OF THE OLD SOUTH. SHE WAS THE WFE OF FRANCS WLKN SON PCKENS, THE WAR GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLNA FOR Beautful n person, cultured n mnd, patrotc n sprt, she was loved by all who knew her. The legends say that Lucy, the beautful daughter of a Texas famly, was taken to Whte Sulpher Sprngs, Vrgna, the elte resort, by her ambtous mother n persut of a husband. A wdower, Colonel Pckens, had brought hs two daughters there for a vacaton and was enchanted by Lucy. She agreed to marry hm f he would get hmself apponted ambassador to Russa, and, as a frend of Presdent Buchanan, he dd so. They were marred n Texas and traveled to Russa, where the young Mrs. Pckens so charmed the czar that she was moved nto the Wnter Palace at the Romanoff Court. Whspers even hnt that her daughter born there was the czar's chld. When the South Carolna secesson fever ran hgh, Pckens brought hs wfe and chld home and was promptly elected governor. As popular n South Carolna as she had been n Russa, Mrs. Pckens had a regment named n her honor, and her pcture chosen for the Confederate hundred-dollar bll. After her husband's death n 1869 she lved another 30 years at ther home, Edgewood, just north of-edgefeld, where she entertaned beautfully, despte the fnancal devastaton of the South. "The gossp wll confrm the stores about her," sad South Carolna author Elzabeth Boatwrght Coker, who heard many of these tales n Edgefeld years ago. But most of the legends are false, and, wth the gossp dspelled, Lucy Pckens emerges all the more fascnatng. She was all the thngs her tombstone attrbutes to her and more. She was a talented wrter and an energetc ctzen of the South and the naton. Lucy Petway Hunt Halcombe was born June, 832, n LaGrange, Tennessee, an arstocratc but very small town n Fayette County, stuated about sx mles north ofthe Msssspp lne and about ffty mles from Memphs and the Msssspp Rver. 5

2 6 The South Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton Lucy Pckens: Frst Lady of the South Carolna Confederacy 7 She was the second of fve chldren of Beverly LaFayette and Eugena Dorthea Vaughn Hunt Halcombe. Her Halcombe grandparents had been large landowners, owned fne race horses and had been known for ther hosptalty n Mecklenburg County, Vrgna. But as farmng declned there, they had to move wth ther SOn and two daughters and husbands to Fayette County. Grandmother Halcombe, a beautful woman who was descended from Austran royalty, adored Lucy. "There was never a sweeter chld,.. she would say as she petted her. 3 Lucy's mother wanted her two daughters to have an educaton so that they could be ndependent--forward thnkng for the perod. They attended LaGrange Female Academy and n the late 1840s went to the Moravan school n Bethlehem, Pennsylvana. Numerous letters of ths perod attest to Lucy's growng popularty.' Beverly Holcombe, Lucy's sx-foot-tall father,' had prospered n Tennessee untl he sgned a bad loan for a frend and was forced n the late 1840's to move to Marshall, Texas, for a fresh start. The frend later recovered hs fnances and repad Holcombe, who consequently n 1848 began constructon of a large brck home surrounded wth Greek Revval columns. 6 The elegance of the Holcombe grls' early lves, despte the famly's fnancal setbacks n Vrgna and Tennessee, s evdent by the jewelry seen n pctures of Lucy and her older sster, Anna Elza; by slver n Lucy's possesson bearng her mother's ntals;7 and by the educaton the grls receved. The famly traveled up and down the Msssspp, frequently gong to New Orleans, the nearest center of culture. From there they would send a bt of elegance, such as a rosewood pano, home to Texas.' Lucy's mother kept a dary n whch, when Lucy was 17, she wrote of beng at the legslature meetng n Jackson, Msssspp, wth her daughters "where all jon me n thnkng and expressng ther admraton for two of the lovelest of ther sex."9 That entry adds credence to what has been consdered a romantczed verson of Lucy's and her daughter's lves by General George F. Alford n a Chcago newspaper. 10 Alford sad when Lucy was vstng the famly of Governor John A. Qutman 11 n Msssspp, "she captvated the entre state legslature and when she departed for New Orleans, the General Assembly adjourned and went wth her. What he meant, a famly hstory explans,ll was that so many young Msssspp legslators escorted her to the dock when she departed for New Orleans that a quorum could not be found. A love letter to her confrms she dd vst wth knsmen n "Jackson or Vcksburg" and she dd go from there to New Orleans,13 accompaned by her mother and probably her sster. ' The letter attests to her captvatng charms n her 1 \ 'oj -. seventeenth year, but does not ndcate that she returned affecton for the mysterous source of the letter, a frend of her father's and, thus, perhaps older than she. There are numerous references to Lucy beng, "The rose of Texas,"1l the "renng belle of the South, known n New York and all the way from Washngton to New Orleans." 16 Occasonally she has been sad to be the subject of the song "The Yellow Rose of Texas." t was wrtten for mnstrels pror to the Cvl War and was very popular wth the North and the South durng the conflct. t s apt to have been played n honor to Lucy, but only the ntals of the wrter,,.j.k. " reman, and ts nspraton s unknowny Lucy had numerous admrers and sutors, ncludng General Alford, who admtted he left Texas for Calforna wth the hope of strkng gold and returnng to marry Lucy. But apparently her heart was reserved for a "Lt. Crttenden," who was klled n an effort to free Cuba from Span. Whle Lucy was n Jackson her famly frends, Governor Qutman, entertaned Narcsco Lopez and Jose Ambroso Gonzales at the Governor's Manson. t s probable that Lucy met Lopez, who wanted Qutman's help n freeng Cuba from Spansh rule. Mssssppans wanted Cuba freed wth the hope that t would be another pro-slavery vote n Congress. An effort to free Cuba by Lopez n the sprng of 1850 was aborted; but on August 3,1851, Lopez saled from New Orleans agan, convnced the tme was rght to lead a revolt. The Cuban uprsng faled to materalze, however. A Col. Wllam L. Crttenden of Kentucky and ffty other southern volunteers were captured August 13, tred and executed n Havana September 1. Nearly half of Lopez's 162 supporters sent to Span as prsoners were Amercans. The effort n Cuba set off ant Spansh rots n New Orleans, and the Spansh consulate was wrecked. The Amercan prsoners were not released untl the Unted States provded Span wth $25,000 for restorng the consulate.' Famly tradton says that "Lt. Crttenden" was klled n ths aborted Lopez effort. Nothng more than ths s known about hm. n her gref Lucy wrote a romance, The Free Flag of Cuba: or The Martyrdom of Lopez. A Tale of the Lberatng Expedton of 1851, under the pen name of H.M. Hardman, whch was publshed at famly expense. lo Her phrases are beautfully descrptve and confrm her educaton n the classcs and talent. As an example, n reference to Lopez's corpse, whe wrote: Lke the marble trumph of some sculptor's skll, he lay n the slent majesty of death. Hard, ndeed, must have been the heart that could have looked unmoved on the stll deathbeauty of the form. The gory stans had been removed, he lay calm and serene as though lfe had sghed tself away at hs mother's breast...

3 8. The Sou,th Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton Lucy Pckens: Frst Lady of the South Carolna Confederacy 9 Perhaps n a call to arms to avenge her lost love, she asked, "Shall t (Amercan blood on Cuban sol) call n van for vengeance?" A fadng crtque s pencled n the margn of the copy of her work at South -( Carolnana Lbrary, wrtten by someone who seemed to know her personally: The plot s beautfully smple and worked out wth great power. There s brllant purpose n the wrter of ths romance. And on another page, referrng to a lne, "The Creoles have never deserted me," the crtc wrote: "Great, but merted complment de la N. Orleans worthy of Lopez- and of you." Her descendants have beleved ths to be her only lterary effort except for letters from Russa publshed n the Memphs Eagle and Enqurer, but a note found n Edgefeld to "Mss Pckens" refers to her gloomy tragedy of Gonzalvo, suggestng that she never forgot ths sadness and wrote more about t. (Gonzales, Lopez's partner, came to South Carolna and ndeed had a gloomy lfe. Hs son was founder of The State newspaper.) Perhaps because the crtque was unfavorable, she destroyed the manuscrpt. Regardless of the male attenton--perhaps because her gref for Crttenden--t was not untl the age of twenty-sx, n 1858, that Lucy marred the twce-wdowed, 53-year-old Francs W. Pckens, a planter and congressman of South Carolna. Pckens frst felt the enchantment of Lucy when he took hs daughters to vacaton at the fashonable Whte Sulpher Sprngs resort n Vrgna. Legend says Lucy's mother was ambtous for her and "felt that Pckens, though much older, would be a sutable match. Lucy, ambtous herself, and wshng to make a good, socally cor rect marrage, was mpressed yet hestant about tyng herself down at an early age to such an 'old man'."21 Eugena Holcombe's ambtous atttude came across n several artcles, even though famly correspondence ndcates that Lucy's parents dd not favor the marrage at frst. 22 Pckens dd not waste any tme, once struck by Lucy's charm; he wrote her father for permsson to marry whle at the resort. "TaU, wllowy, wth ttan har sad to resemble a woof of sun beans spnnng out lke a flower at the ends, wth eyes to shade that two men could never agree upon, "23 s the penned portrat of Lucy n ths perod. She was "master of every stuaton she met," creatng a sensaton when she entered the room. No wonder, that n addton to wrtng her poltcs and natonal ssues, Pckens wrote her, "Forgve me, forgve me t. tremble for love you madly, wldly, blndly..."23 There s no conclusve proof of Lucy's feelngs for Pckens at that pont n her lfe, although she must have consdered hm dearly later n ther marrage. She had lost Crttenden and perhaps consdered hm a steppng stone to a dfferent sort of lfe.. She demanded, accordng to Edgefeld stores, that Pckens get hmself apponted ambassador to Russa, f she was to become hs brde. He went mmedately to hs frend, Presdent Buchanan, and dd so. Famly sources beleve, however, only that she expressed an nterest n travel, and he wllngly oblged. Her uncommon love for her mother and home would seem to contradct such a suggeston on her part, but ths conflct of desres mght be attrbuted to mpetuous youth. There s good reason to beleve that Pckens wanted to do everythng he could to please her, even though he had refused earler offers of ambassadorshps to France and England. They were marred Aprl 25, 1858, at the Holcombe famly home n Marshall, "Wyalucng". The town's leadng ctzens entertaned the couple the followng evenng wth a recepton at the Adkns House, the largest place n Marshall. The new Mrs. Pckens dd not, as legend says, come to Pckens' plantaton n Edgefeld to tran ther servants before gong to Russa. nstead, the newlyweds saled out of New York on the steamer "Persa" and were only one day from Lverpool by May 28. From London Lucy reported to the Memphs newspaper that the Englsh royalty dd not go out n fner style than she and her husband dd, only "wth greater dsplay" of servants.25 n that same cty on her frst brthday away from her famly her wrtng gves a clue about Pcken's adoraton of her: The frst thng ( saw) when opened my eyes ths mornng was a beautful basket of hot-house flowers, half hd n them a box. contanng earrngs, breast-pn and a bracelet of wrought gold, wth bunches of volets enamled on them, wth a damond n each volet. 26 Stll n London n June, they went to an exhbton of pantngs, saw Kean n Macbeth; heard Dckens read, whch nspred a knowledgeable crtque from her; and attended a servce at Westmnster Abbey. 21 From London the Pckenses went to France. Lucy was far more enchanted by Pars than she had been by London. She vsted the Louvre and other places of nterest, contnung to take advantage of the culture wherever she was. Although she was bothered by shoppng and blls, she relshed the gowns of Pars. At great length she descrbed the dress she would wear to be receved by Napoleon: "a blue slk lace wth three-pont lace flounces over whch a long tran of lace s worn, looped wth damond sprgs, jewels of the same--breastpn, earrngs and bracelet. "28 After a stop n Prussa they arrved n St. Petersburg on July 6. Ther frst ntroducton to the czar was to have been on a Sunday at Peterhof, Ncholas' favorte summer palace thrty mles away. But because t was Sunday, a day for worshp, so

4 ,." 10 The South Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton Lucy Pckens: Frst Lady of the South Carolna Confederacy 11 Lucy felt, Ambassador Pckens attended alone. Several weeks had passed befon. Lucy met the czar at Peterhof. Accordng to her correspondence, the food was beyond magnaton, and the musc was by the son of the great Strauss. For dnner she chose a gown wth two skrts of whte tulle, puffs of whtetulle and lemon slk and strpes of black velvet. She wore satn slppers embrodered wth gold, whch showed when she sat n the drawng room wth her feet restng on a slk pllow. After a merry gatherng there she went to her room to rest and re-dress for the ball n whte more satn and llles of the valley. J Under the watchful eye of her husband she attracted much attenton from Czar Alexander, thrty-eght and restless, and whose passon for hs wfe was fadng. He was good-natured, charmng, and attractve, but also a bt tmd and senstve. 1o Hs nterest n Lucy assured her the entre court's attenton. He sngled her out for dances, called her to stand above the ballroom on the platform reserved for the royal famly and nssted they converse n French. Attestng hs good nature, when Lucy apologetcally sad her French was not of the qualty requred for royalty, Alexander sad he had no doubt that her republcan tongue could not speak the language requred by royalty. The half-hour conversaton.wth a foregner was heretofore an unheard-of event. 1 n a letter to her sster Lucy acknowledged that she passed for a "great beauty at Court" and that the emperor and grand dukes danced wth her but not other mnsters' wves. Ther vrtue, however, dd not please her. She wrote: n a socety lke ths, where the exstence of vrtue s not beleved n by men, mne has not been a poston free from n cdents but have conducted myself wth such prudence that my husband tells me he loves me more for my dgnty and goodness, than for my beauty and ntellect. menton t only to you (her sster) (n that) have endeavored to fulfll the dutes whch lowed to my poston to socety, but would shrnk from gvng my mnd, soul and body to worldly pleasures and gratfcatons as the people around me do. 12 Learnng of her pregnancy, the czar moved her nto an apartment n the Wnter Palace whch provded a vew of the frozen Neva Rver's ce skaters to amuse her.h Hs attentons have been msconstrued by some to mply that the czar mght have fathered the chld. The tmng of the Pckenses' arrval n Russa, however, makes that mpossble. There s nothng n her correspondence to ndcate that the Pckenses' daughter was not a full-term baby, and she was born on March 14, 1859, whch puts the concepton n London or Pars. On July 2 from Prussa, Lucy wrote her mother that she was "sck ths mornng and n much pan. "34 They dd not arrve n Russa untl July 6, eght months before ther daughter's arrval, and t was several weeks before she even met the czar.ll The czar s sad to have had her features carved n marble,. but t was Pckens who suggested she have ths done. Pckens had a smlar bust of hmself carved. 16 J " t When Lucy had been as young as seven her mother had noted that Lucy seemed strangely devoted to her.37 Letters from Russa express Lucy's profound gref at not beng able to see her mother, dstress at not hearng from her mother or sster, and her recall of memores of home. She obtaned a promse from Pckens to lve n Texas at one pont, but she wrote a btter letter after he dd not allow her to go to her mother, whom she beleved to be ll. She was ready to leave hm and her chld and sal the dangerous Baltc Sea to see about her mother when Pckens became ll; hence she stayed n Russa. n n the same letter she exposes her dslke for the dea of lvng at Edgewood "n the mdst of all the chldren, grandchldren and relatons of No. 1 and No.2 (hs frst and second wves)". Although she later apologzed for the letter, Lucy had revealed some of the dfflcultes of step-motherng. Hs daughters by hs second marrage, Rebecca and Jenne, had accompaned them to Russa. The latter had been only twelve when Francs and Lucy marred, and there was a mutual bond of love between them. Jenne even called Lucy "Mama". But Lucy was not fond of Rebecca, who marred Pckens' secretary, James C. Bacon, whle n Russa. Pckens apparently had a good rapport wth Lucy's famly, however. Usng affectonate terms, he wrote to them askng for preserves and bought gfts for them. He was generous to them as well as to Lucy. When he spent forty dollars for a lace handkerchef for Lucy, she thought t was foolsh, but was gracous enough not to tell hm SO.39 Lucy faced her motherhood more wth the atttude of a modern mother than that of a Vctoran shrnkng volet, not fearng the pan and wantng to nurse her chld. Her doctor sad she was so popular and would want to go out that nursng her chld, therefore, would not do. He sad she was "nature's model" and predcted thngs would go well." o Sometme after her seventh month, when she was stll gong out a great deal, Pckens dd wrte her famly that she had been ll, but evdently the brth was not remarkably dffcult. 41 The chld was nursed by a Russan wet-nurse, Mumka, who, contrary to legend, remaned n Russa when the Pckenses returned home. Although Lucy had wrtten she would be greatly dsapponted f she dd not have a son, she seemed to take great prde n her daughter. The baptsm of ther chld has been greatly romantczed. Lucy preferred to wat untl ther return and let the Presbyteran mnster adored by her famly do the honors, but she was concerned about travelng the treacherous seas wthout the nfant havng been receved nto the Kngdom of God. n md-august, 1860, she was consderng havng her chrstened when they reached England. <l Nevertheless, the chld was baptzed before they left Russa. Legends say t occured n the company of dplomats from all foregn natons n the Russan captal, and that the czarna named her "Douschka", meanng "Lttle Darlng" durng the ceremony, the name stuck wth her."3 She had been "Eugena Dorothea Holcombe Pckens", at

5 12 The South Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton Lucy Pckens: Frst Lady of the South Carolna Confederacy 13 her brth,44 but her tombstone bears the name, "Frances Eugena Olga Neva...", the latter two names apparently belongng to Russan Godmothers. Besdes motherng her chld n Russa, Lucy contnued to study French and took voce lessons from Mon. Rubn, studyng talan musc. 45 Although she seemed to enjoy stayng abroad, she dslked the Europeans' complete dsregard for anythng but rank and fortune. Both her republcansm and lberated vew of womanhood caused her dsdan for the noblty's dsregard for women of lesser socal status, regardless of ther wt or charms. 46 The Russan sojourn ended as the North-South conflct loomed n Amerca. Pckens.had stayed n contact wth frends n South Carolna and, knowng of grow ng sentment aganst the government, he resgned hs post n Russa and traveled home n the fall of He wanted to cool the "hot-heads" and prevent war. Both he and Presdent Buchanan were wllng to mantan the status quo, although South Carolna, under the newly elected Governor Pckens' leadershp, seceded from the Unon n December, Evdently, when Pckens felt the call to return to South Carolna and lead hs state, hs promse to Lucy to lve n Texas was erased. Lucy's mother came to Edgewood to vst when they were settled, and later Lucy vsted her n Texas. 47 But prmarly Lucy was by her husband's sde. "Francs and Lucy were so much a part of a team that t s dffcult to thnk of one wthout the other... Lucy Pckens was of great comfort to her husband through these trals. n all the councls of state held at Edgewood, she was an actve partcpant, recognzed by the men as a woman of unusual ntellgence. She was an nspraton to her husband, the South Carolna people and the solders n battle. "41 Pckens beleved n confdng n hs wfe and not shelterng her from the truth. Whle Lucy may have played a role n the war, there s nothng to substantate a prnted legend that says the match that lghted the frst cannon fred n the war was held by Douschka. Publc servce was dstasteful to Pckens, and he had a reputaton for beng a "wnd bag" who enjoyed speakng and wrtng, for beng bombastc, verbose and loud wth a cold personalty, 49 although an Edgefeld frend's bography dsagrees. 50 But f any of hs charms were lackng, Lucy made up for them. The chatterng Mary Boykn Chesnut, at her frst meetng wth Lucy, observed: Met the lovely Lucy Holcombe, now Mrs. Governor Pckens, last nght at the ssac Haynes's. Old Pck had a bet ter wg. saw Mles beggng n dumb show for three volets she had n her breastpn. She s slly and affected, lookng for love nto the eyes of the men at every glance. 5 Mrs. Chestnut's wrtng suggests that Lucy was not ntmate, but rather someone f! on a pedestal to be sought after and observed. The feelng s apparent even n Edgefeld stores n ths era. Mrs. Chestnut confrms that Lucy was a "lovely and charmng hostess" and some of ther entertanments were embellshed wth Russan_ culture. After an 1862 party for wounded Wade Hamton, Mrs. Chestnut wrote: For us, they have never put the servants n Russan lvery... but must confess, the Russan tea and champagne always set before us left nothng to be desred. n Both Mrs. Chestnut and the men of ther day recognzed Lucy as clever. She drew on her study of hstory to defend an attack on herself and other lades "lollng n ther landaus": "Why not? General Washngton attended the Assembly Balls and wanted everythng done that could be done to amuse hs solders and comfort and refresh them, and gve them new strength for the fray."n As the governor's wfe, Mrs. Pckens was protected from hardshps other southern women endured, enjoyng bacon and homny for breakfast, cornbread and mlk and sasafras tea for supper. H n the records of the Unted Daughters of The Confederacy there are no references to her sewng cartrdge bags or rollng bandages as others dd. Endurng only the hardshps of havng no escort, she and other leaders' wves were attendng concerts n Columba. 5l A woodcut n the February, 1861, Harper's Weekly depcts her revewng the Holcombe Legon named n her honor. The solders loved her. Hers was the only woman's portrat selected to adorn the Confederacy currency, and when the hundred-dollar blls bearng her profle were no longer legal tender, they were put n gft decoratons and dstrbuted as souvenrs at a conventon of veterans. 56 The Pckenses retred to ther 2,250-acre plantaton,!' "Edgewood," just north of Edgefeld vllage n 1863 when Francs, fadng n popularty, had decded not to seek another term. The plantaton house had been bult n 1832 as the home of Pckens' frst youthful brde, a place "where lades spoke French and danced candlelght polkas." There were great pantres, mahogany furnture and an Englsh garden wth mazes and statuary tucked away among ts camellas and boxwoods. A wde vsta through the avenue of cedars provded "a clear glmpse of horsemen or carrages as they turned away from the publc road more than half-a-mle away (Center Sprngs Road). On festve occasons, red bonfres of fat pne guded the welcome guests through ts dark length."u The orgnal house was moved to Aken n the 1920s and enhanced wth hand some woodwork and other changes, but the front porch, wth ts arched entablature over Roman columns, appears to be dentcal to the home as t stood n Edgefeld. From the memory of the one who lved there, the descrpton was of "far-flung proportons" and a front porch hgh above the ground, extendng n full length of the house:

6 14 The South Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton The dnng room and perhaps the other of the recepton rooms were papered n rch, red paper, havng n the dnng room a wde plate ral where art objects and chna were dsplayed... The lbrary was separated from the large parlor by a carved archway, and French doors also led nto a small. but very beautful study panelled wth blond and red mahogany. Openng from ths study was the bedroom n whch Gov. Pckens ded." The lbrary contaned about a thousand volumes of books, from Locke's Essays to Lfe of Jefferson, from Shakespeare's Works to Mrs. Brownng's Poems. The parlor-furnshngs ncluded a pano, marble-topped tables, mrrors, two sofas, sx chars, the marble busts, chandelers, a brass fender, portrats of the czar and a varety of porcelans, pantngs, and candelabrum. Her jewelry was temzed n an mpressve 55-tem lst.60 The Pckenses attended the Epscopal Church n the vllage where Lucy was confrmed on March 29, n Russa she had taken a great nterest n the relgous ceremones; and her letters attest to her belef n God. Francs was a pllar of the church, servng as vestry charman and payng the rector's salary durng the mpovershed years of the war and afterward. Hs death on January 25, 1869, was almost the death of the church. 61 After Pckens' death Lucy converted Edgewood nto the "most attractve home of Upper South Carolna. Her hosptalty was wdely known; vstors from far and wde sought the honor of her acquantance.' '62 At thrty-sx her compellng eyes and attractve features were not dmmed by the black of her wdow's attre. Her pctures llustrate her love of jewelry; her wrtng, and her pleasure at fne gowns from Pars, but she never appeared ostentatous. Lucy was sad to know her wdowed mother had to take n boarders n post-war years as she, herself, struggled to overcome the deprvaton. Havng lost all Pckens' property but Edgewood, n 1871 she made a trp wth her step-son-n-law, Judge Bacon, to sell some jewelry n an effort to secure Edgewood and help her famly. 63 n 1866 she had advanced her husband $13,900 from propertes, presumably jewelry, sold n New York." Legend says the czar sent a jewel each year, and these were sold to sustan the famly; but ths s lkely, snce by 1865 the czar was separated from hs wfe and n love wth Catherne. Douschka, callng her mother "Mamaska" n Russan tradton, was an ndependent sprt, by her own admsson a natural flrt lke her mother and very responsve to her mother's wshes. She s heralded as the "Joan of Arc" of local hstory, havng led a band of Red Shrts to frghten blacks away from the polls, whch assured the electon of Wade Hampton and closed the chapter on South Carolna t Lucy Pckens: Frst Lady of the South Carolna Confederacy 15 Reconstructon. Lucy, whle not actve poltcally, surely applauded ths electon of 1 a mltary hero she had entertaned n her fnest days. ( Evdently the sale of jewels n England was successful because Edgewood remaned n Lucy's posseson untl her death, and n the fall of 1881 she gave a weddng for Douschka, who marred Dr. George Dugas of Augusta, Georga. Douschka'later moved from Augusta back to Edgewood wth ther chldren and ran the farm. Her husband came on weekends. Despte an earler dread of havng to contend wth Pckens' kn and those of wves Number One and Number Two, Lucy felt enough compasson for hs second wfe, bured at the chldhood home of hs frst wfe, that she had servants move her to Pckens's sde at Wllowbrook." Her cousn, Confederate Brgader General Beverly Holcombe Robertson, lved wth her for some tme after the war, as dd her brother, John T. H. Holcombe, and a Major Krkland "who came for tea and stayed thrty years," She contnued to be actve n causes she consdered mportant. n 1866 she was apponted second Vce Regent of Mount Vernon's Lades' Assocaton for the state of South Carolna, although she dd not become actve untl She served for many years as Charman of the Garden and Greenhouse Commttee. 66 She founded the Maxe Gregg Chapter of the Unted Daughters of the Confederacy and n her last years organzed a fund drve to place a monument to the Confederate dead n Edgefeld's town square. Lucy was sxty-one when she bured her daughter and found herself wth two grand-daughters to rase. She was gref-strken by her loss. A bography of Pckens, publshed durng Lucy's lfetme, descrbes her: The graceful and accomplshed mstress who presded over all ths lovely scene and whose smle was wont n happer days to lght up as wth magc the long galleres... stll remans--chastened, and n her wdow's weeds. 61 On August 8, 1899, after beng ll for several weeks, the "uncrowned queen of the Southern Confederate States" ded at Edgewood of a blood clot. Lucy Pckens' obtuary calls her "one of the most famous women of the South, and one whose name wll lve n hstory."68 Yet, lke a good romance, read and lad asde, she has been nearly forgotten, her lfe cut nto the yellowed clppngs scattered here and there n attcs and lbrary stacks. These remnants of her lfe are lke a challengng jgsaw puzzle. When put together, they yeld the true pcture of Lucy Pckens. t s a pcture of utter enchantment, embodyng all the elements of the romantc myths of the Old South.

7 16 The South Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton t Lucy Pckens: Frst Lady of the South Carolna Confederacy 17 Personal ntervew wth Elzabeth Boatwrght Coker, Rdge Sprng. S.C., May Mrs. Coker spent a great deal of tme n Edgefeld lstenng to stores told by Mame Tllman and others whch ncluded tales of Lucy Pckens. She borrowed from these for her book. nda Allen., Jack Thorndke Greer, Leaves From 11 Famly Album (Holcombe 1nd Greer) (Tyler, Texas: n.p., 1975), p. 51. Her year of brth on ths page s n error. See page x. 1 bd. p. xt, p. 12, p., p. 3. bd., p. 18. p. 51, p. 24. p. 51., bd., p. 15. bd. pp Edgefeld County, S.C., Probate Judge's Offce, Estate of Lucy H. Pckens, Box 127. Packet Ths ncludes a complete nventory of her estate at her death n ncludng a lst of slver tems wth a total value (slver was appro:damately $.45 per ounce then) of $2, n addton. at hs death n Pckens had requested that $500 worth of nat sver be gven to each of two daughters and a granddaughter. (Hs wll s fled n Edgefeld County. Box 97, Packet 3921.) Although slavery had been abolshed, he left 132 slaves to hs daughters and granddaughter. At her death Lucy also left ffty-fve tems or sets of jewelry valued at $2,360.50, the greatest of whch were a pear-shaped damond vaued at $800 and damond earrngs valued at $750. Telephone ntervew wth Jane Judge Greer. Tyler. Texas, July She edted her late husband's book. Leaves From a Famly Album. Greer. p. 25. Monroe Pckens. Cousn Monroe's Hstory of the Pckens Famly. (Easley, S.C.: Rev. ed. Kate Archer Day, 1951). pp A reference to the artcle by H.D. Allen, The Nusmsmatlst, No.7 (July, 1918), says t was publshed n the New York Herald, Feb. 22, " Telephone ntervew wth Jane Judge Greer, Tyler, Texas, August 11, 1981, acknowledged that Qutman was a famly frend. " Anna Holcombe Smth, "Hghlghts On The Lfe Of Lucy P. Halcombe," unpublshed manuscrpt n the posseson of Jane Judge Greer, Tyler, Texas. " John K. Aull, Augusta Herald, second artcle... Greer, p. 2S. " Davd James Harkness, "Herones of The Blue And Gray, A Cvl War Centennal Program Manual". The Unversty of Tennesse Newsletter, No.4, (August, 1960),7. " John K. Aull. Augusta Herald, (no date) 1930, second of four artcles n Sunday edtons. 11 Davs Ewen, Amercan Popular Songs From Revolutonary War To The Present (New York: Random House, 1966), p John Edmond Gonzales, "Flush Tmes, Depresson, War and Comprmse," n A Hstory of Msssspp (Hattesburg, Mss.; Unversty and College Press of Msssspp, 1973). p " Rchard B. Morrs, ed., Enclycopeda Of Amercan Hstory (New York: Harper & Row, 1976), p Lucy Pckens, The Free Flag of Cuba: Or, The Martydom of Lopez. A Tale Of The Uberalng Ex pedtlon Of 1851 (New York: Dewtt and Davenport, 1855). A porton of the book s at South Carolnana Lbrary. Columba. t was gven by her famly whch means t had been Lucy's copy.. Kathleen Lews Sloan. "South Carolna'S Patrot Lady," The Slate and The Columba Record Magune, March 5, 196\. Greer ntervew. July " Kathleen Lews. "A Woman Called Lucy." The State Magazne, November 2, 1952.,. Greer. p. 52. " bd., p. 63. " bd. p bd., p bd., pp " bd., pp Edward Crankshaw. The Shadow Of The Wnter Palace (New York: The Vkng Press, 1976). p. 1 bd., p. 77. " bd., p. 89. )) bd., p. 78. " bd., p. 73. " bd., p 68. " Greer, p. 79. The busts are on dsplay at the South Carolnana Lbrary. Columba, S.C., and are lsted as part of the lvng room accessores at the tme of Lucy's death, Edgefeld County Probate Judge's Records. '7 bd., p. 16. " bd., pp " bd., p. 75. c. bd., p. 87. " bd., p. 77. " bd., p. 98. " Pckens. Cousn Monroe's Hstory Of The Pcke.. Greer. p. 81.

8 18.. bd., p. 94. bd., p. 8L The South Carolna Hstorcal Assocaton DD THE LADY OF COFTACHEQU LVE N CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLNA? Charles W. Brght., Lucy Frances Dugas to Emly L. Bull, July 23, Lucy's vst to Marshall s also recorded n the Soutllwestern Journal (n.d.), notng that Mrs. Pckens was unchanged after her stay n Russa and ctng her lovelness, "facnatng manner" and "ndvdualty of character"... Sloan. "South Carolna's Patrot Lady." Edward J. Keel, "Francs Wlkenson Pckens, Governor Of South Carolna, ," publshed manuscrpt,south Carolnana Lbrary.,. General LeRoy F. Youmans, Francs W. Pckens Of Soutb Carolna (Charleston, S.C.: The News Job Presss, n.d.), p. 19. " Ben Ames Wllams, ed.. Mary Boykn Cbestnut, A Dary From Dxe (Cambrdge. Mass.: Houghton Mffln Co., 1949), p. 32. " bd., p. 2S7. " bd., p. 211.,. "n The Back Country Of South Carolna, ," Carolna Soutb, a dary n South Carolnana Lbrary, Columba. " Wllams, ed., Mary Boykn Chestnut, p. 233.,. H.D. Allen, "The Paper Money Of The Confederate States," Tbe Num.l.smatst,No. 7, (July 1918), Map n posseson of Tom Greneker, Edgewood, Edgefeld, S.C.,. Francs Butler Smkns, (Charleston) News ADd Courer, " Salle Smkns, descrpton on fle n Edgefeld County Lbrary. Mrs. Smkns was the housekeeper at Edgewood and mother of Francs Butler Smkns. Edgefeld County, S.C., Probate Judge's Offce, Estate of Lucy H. Pckens, Box 127, Packet Unttled journal of Trnty Epscopal Church, entres , Edgefeld County Lbrary, Edgefeld, S.C. " Smkns, (Charleston) News,And Courer, Lucy Pckens to her sster, Anna Greer, August 8, 1881, n posseson of Jane Judge Greer, Tyler, Texas... Edgefeld County Probate Box 97, PaCKet 3921, F. W. Pckens Wll... Aull, Augusta Herald, frst artcle... John H, Rodehamel, archvst, Mount Vernon, to Emly L. Bull, August 10, " Youmans, p. 19. un j J 1 j ( Only God and the ndans know how to pronounce correctly an ndan name recorded and pronounced n several dfferent ways by the Spansh n 1540 and later translated nto Englsh. nqures made concernng correct pronuncaton ncluded a Unversty of Georga Anthropologst, a Unversty of South Carolna Archeologst and a Unversty of South Carolna Spansh Professor--none of whom agreed. The word was not ncluded n any avalable dctonary. Prevous nterest n ths topc was renewed n the summer of 1980, when the magazne, Early Man, reported the dscovery of a Spansh document from the 1560s never before translated. t contans clues about the locaton of the home town of The Lady of Coftachequ. There seems to be lttle doubt that De Soto met her n South Carolna--but where n South Carolna? Was t near Columba, Camden, Aken, hstorc Manchester n Sumter County, or just on a rver? De Soto, a Spansh explorer, s famous because n 1541 he became the frst whte man to cross the Msssspp Rver. Born n Barcarota, Span, he came to the New W ord when he was about nneteen. He accompaned Pzzaro n hs conquest of Peru and acqured hs share of plundered gold. Whle Governor of Cuba n 1538, he decded to explore Florda, whch had been reported to be a land of gold and perhaps slver. Lttle dd he know that the gold would turn out to be copper and the slver to be mca. De Soto landed at Tampa Bay wth about 600 men n May, 1539, and moved toward an ndan town called Appalache. t s worthwhle metonng that, by error, ths Appalache s the source of the name of the Appalachan Mountans. Thereafter, De Soto crossed Georga to the Savannah Rver and entered South Carolna, where he met an ndan ruler whom he called "The Lady of Coftachequ". As De Soto looked accross the rver, he saw four canoes approachng, one of whch contaned an ndan woman who gave hm an approprate greetng. Ths was a relatve of the ruler of Coftachequ who was prudent enough to reman on her sde of the rver whle she made an estmate of the stuaton. Later, she crossed over to meet De Soto. She traveled n a large canoe whch had an awnng over the stern, a mat on the bottom and two large cushons. She was an attractve woman about thrty-fve, brown of skn, well formed and approprately clothed. Her house n Talmeco, the prncpal town, was large, hgh, broad and decorated wth handsome mats. Ths was reported by Ranjel, De Soto's secretary, who spelled the word Coftachequ. t s smlarly spelled n the majorty of other sources. The ttle of a female ruler of a number of ndan towns or vllages or areas was.. Belle Walsh, "Mrs. F. W. Pckens Dead," (Charleston) News And Courer, August 9,