Edward Clifford Anderson (1815-1883) ofSavannah, Ga., was a United States Navy officer, planter, Confederate Army officer,mayor of Savannah, insurance company representative, and railroad director. He wasmarried to Sarah McQueen Williamson (1816-1884). The collection consists of family letters and volumes ofEdward Clifford Anderson and Sarah McQueen Williamson Anderson of Savannah, Ga. Most ofthe letters, 1837-1882, are to Sarah Anderson from female friends and relatives, andher husband. Topics include social life in various northern and southern cities,family news, and wartime conditions in Savannah and in Charleston, S.C. Eightvolumes of notes and diaries of Anderson record his experiences as a United Statesnaval officer, 1835-1839 and 1842-1846, serving in the Mediterranean, in Floridacoastal waters, and with the United States Coast Survey; as a Confederate Armyofficer traveling to England, 1861-1864, trying to purchase military supplies there,and later serving with the Savannah River defenses; and as a resident of Savannah,1869-1875 and 1877-1882, active as mayor, insurance agent, and director of theAtlantic and Gulf Railroad Company and the Central Railroad and Canal Company ofGeorgia. Anderson's interests in family, social, economic, racial, and civic affairsduring Reconstruction and later are also represented. Other materials include theminutes, 1813-1868, of the Chatham Academy of Savannah and miscellaneous plantationand slave records.
