Biographical Note
Charles Bruce (1798-1896) was a plantation owner, Confederate army officer, Virginia state senator, father of United States senator William Cabell Bruce, and brother-in-law of James Seddon, the Confederate secretary of war. After inheriting Staunton Hill plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia, from his father, he became one of the wealthiest tobacco growers in Virginia. In 1861, at his expense, he raised and captained a Confederate artillery battery known as the Staunton Hill Artillery. In 1865 he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson. He died at Staunton Hill plantation on October 6, 1896.
Charles Bruce’s father, James Bruce (1763-1837), was a merchant and plantation owner from Halifax County, Virginia, who was considered to be one of the wealthiest men in America at the time of his death. He died in Philadelphia in 1837.
Charles Bruce’s mother, Elvira Bruce (1788-1858), the widow of Patrick Henry, Jr., was James Bruce’s second wife. Following the death of James Bruce, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she died on October 22, 1858.
From the guide to the Bruce Family Papers, 1792-1883, (bulk 1800-1880), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)
