Berry Benson papers, 1845; 1865-1922 [manuscript].

ArchivalResource

Benson, Berry, 1843-1923. Berry Benson papers, 1845; 1865-1922 [manuscript].

Berry Benson papers, 1845; 1865-1922 [manuscript].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25031604

Correspondence, writings, notes, Civil War diary and remiscences, and other papers of B. G. Benson of Hamburg, S.C. During the Civil War Benson was in the 1st South Carolina Regiment, taking part in the battles of Fredericksburg, Mechanicsville, Cold Harbor, [2nd] Manassas/Bull Run, Winchester, Sharpsburg/Antietam, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness, and escaped from the federal prison at Elmira, N.Y., by digging a tunnel. After the war he lived at Augusta, Ga., where he was a teacher, cotton trader, writer for national and local magazines and newspapers, and inventor of a remunerative bookkeeping technique. The collection includes a detailed diary and recollections concerning Benson's early life, family history, and Civil War career. Writings include fiction, poetry, plays, humor, and commentary related to the Civil War, manners and mores, and other subjects. Other papers relate to Benson's expertise in handwriting, codes, ciphers, mycology, and other varied and unusual matters. Also included are full diaries, 1880, when he worked his way to Mexico as a seaman, traveled about the country on foot, and then visited Cuba; and 1884, when he went to Mexico and Texas.

About 2,200 items (4.5 linear feet).

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill