Family papers, 1827, 1857-1866, 1894-1896 and 1937, chiefly Civil War letters, written by brothers Charles Kerrison (1839-1893) and Edwin Kerrison (1841-1864), both of whom served in Co. I (Palmetto Guard), 2nd Regiment, S.C. Volunteers, attached to Kershaw's Brigade; letters originate in Confederate camps and battlefields in S.C., Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland and are addressed to family members in Charleston, Columbia and Spartanburg, S.C., and elsewhere. By May 1861, Charles Kerrison was attached to the Palmetto Guard in Virginia by May 1861, Edwin Kerrison was stationed on the S.C. coast at Fort Pickens, where he was accompanied by Sandy, an African American slave. By Feb. 1862, letters confirm that Edwin was also stationed in eastern Virginia, where a major concern among the S.C. soldiers was the threat of a Federal invasion of the S.C. coast, as seen in letter, 2 Sept. 1861, from Charles, reacting to news of fall of Confederate fortifications along the coast of North Carolina, reporting rumor that the governor of S.C. would order his brigade to return home to S.C., describing intelligence learned from interactions with Union prisoners of war, and noting that morale remained high among his comrades, "our men are under the impression that another great victory will end this war, so that we are anxious to be led on once more to battle." Letters written ca. Dec. 1861 and Jan. 1862 by Charles describe his recuperation in Warren Springs (Va.), in 1861 and at Manchester Hospital (Chesterfield County, Va.), described in a letter of Jan. 1862, in which Charles comments on the medical care received from "Dr. Bissell... a native of our own city" and countering objections to hospital life raised by his uncle, "the objection which you make against them on account of immorality &c so far as I can see is a mistake, and the difference between the camp and hospital so far as morality is concerned is greatly in favor of the hospital... there is not the least bit for contention and discontent which prevailed" at his camp in Warren Springs. Correspondence documenting challenges faced by a confederation government in management of its army, includes letter from Charles, re sentiment of many soldiers from S.C. serving in Virginia, his anticipation of returning home to S.C. upon expiration of his term of enlistment and reports that the men of his company had unanimously agreed not to reenlist unless promised a 30-day furlough, "our men are determined to go home and stand the draft" (23 Mar. 1862); letter, 24 Apr. 1862, expresses hope that his entire regiment would be returning to S.C. shortly and reports on the Confederate Army's use of aerial observation technology, "we, like the yankies, are sending up every day a balloon for the purpose of finding out their position, but we manage ours very poorly indeed as we cannot obtain gas, but have to use smoke instead for inflating it." Letters of fall and winter of 1862 begin to mention shortages of food and clothing; letter, 13 Nov. 1862, Charles reports that Confederate Army could not supply a complete uniform, but would only supply leather from which the men could craft their own shoes; letter, 21 Dec. 1862, from Edwin re extreme cold temperatures, water freezing on his beard, and lack of tents: "we have to sleep in the open air, unless we were fortunate enough to capture a piece of tent after the Enemy retreated"; letter, 9 Apr. 1863, from Charles re impact of shortages on the civilian population and a "riot in Richmond, in which over five thousand women, principally foreigners, were engaged.... They were armed with hatchets, axes, pistols, &c. and their object plunder. Want did not compel them to riot, but as they robbed every body and took all kinds of articles it was clearly proved that they were banded together for theft. Two hundred of the ring leaders were arrested. It was such a serious affair that troops in the vicinity were sent to the city and the women had to be threatened to be shot into before they would disperse. The mayor would not permit any of the papers to publish an account of it." Topics include camp life, troop movements, morale, hospitals and medical care, the aftermath of battles fought in Henrico County, Va. at Savage's Station and Malvern Hill (June and July 1862), and Gettysburg (July 1863); account of Charles Kerrison's wounding and capture at Gettysburg, his subsequent exchange as a prisoner of war, capture during Battle of Cedar Mountain (9 Aug. 1862, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, in Culpeper County, Va.), imprisonment, eventual escape, and Charles Kerrison's appointment as aide-de-camp to General John Doby Kennedy. Letters discuss soldier reactions to war experiences, comments on camp life, the progress of the war, battle activities, military leaders, medical care, doctors encountered, treatment received and general hospital conditions; as well as requests for clothes, food, and money; a number of letters were written during confinement in hospitals due to illness or wounds from battle; letters from the home front express anxiety at Charles' wounding and capture in June 1863, but Edwin advised, "We all have our duties to perform & if misfortune overtakes us we know it must be for a good purpose & should not murmur." Charles describes the heavy losses sustained by Kershaw's Brigade during battles at Malvern Hill and Savage's Station, in letter, 19 July 1862, comparing more recent combat as more destructive than the Battle of Bull Run, "we used to think that the battle of Manassas was a great affair, but it was mere child's play compared with those in which was have been lately engaged"; a subsequent letter, 9 Sept. 1862, describes the march from Malvern Hill into Maryland en route to Sharpsburg. Two letters from Edwin describe the casualties sustained by his unit in the ill-fated Gettysburg campaign and the capture of his brother: letter, 7 July 1863 (Hagerstown, Md.), written during the retreat of the Confederate Army, reports "we fought a separate battle at Gettysburg... in which we suffered terribly being compelled to stand the fire of artillery 3 1/2 hours.... Since we left (the 5th) our wounded have been all captured by the Yankees - Charley among the number. They will receive more attention & be more comfortable than if they were with us.... We have only 8 or 9 men for duty in the company now. Our Regt has but two captain's left.... Our Regt carried in some three hundred & odd & had 169 killed & wounded." Letter, 16 July 1863, from bivouac near Bunker Hill, [West] Virginia, re Confederate retreat from Pennsylvania, "We had to march through a pouring rain with mud and water nearly knee deep & so dark that you could not see a foot in advance of you. After stumbling over rocks for some time I gave up at last from sheer exhaustion & laid down in the rain & slept till morning when I caught up with the company." News of Charles' exchange, Sept. 1863, as a prisoner of war, appears in letter, 8 Oct. 1863, in which Edwin, stationed near Chattanooga, Tenn., expresses dissatisfaction with the command of Gen. Braxton Bragg and requests food from home; another letter, 11 Dec. 1863, from Edwin discusses further the shortages of food faced by Confederate troops in eastern Tenn., defining rations received and foraging for potatoes. Upon his return to Confederate service, Charles Kerrison was recommended for promotion by Gen. John Doby Kennedy (letter, 7 Dec. 1863), for whom Charles began service as an aide-de-camp; in subsequent letters, Charles notes the necessity of spending money to maintain this position. Letter, 19 Nov. 1864, relates details of his capture by Union forces while attempting to rescue a wounded officer during battle at Cedar Run, Va., his imprisonment at Newton, [West] Va., and his escape by hiding in the attic of a house after learning via friendly Union soldiers that he was to be carried away as a prisoner of war by retreating Federal troops. Later items include a regimental history written following the end of the Civil War, consisting of roster of "Palmetto Guard Volunteers : Company I, 2nd S.C. Vol[unteers] - Army of Virginia," listing officers and enlisted men, and where killed or transfered, and names of men present at time of Confederate surrender (legal size folder); commissions, 1878-1893, signed by Governors Wade Hampton and Hugh S. Thompson, recorded when Charles Kerrison, Jr., served as Register of Mesne Conveyance for Charleston County, S.C. (oversize folder); minute books of his veterans' organization, the Palmetto Guard, Camp No. 315; and fragment of incomplete letter [ca. 1888?] signed by Charles' former commander, John D. Kennedy during his service (1886-1889) as U.S. Consul General to China in Shanghai, comments on his life in China and summarizes the unique perspective of his personal experience as an ex-Confederate, "What strange events occur in a mans life, & how unexpected things are - Who would have thought during the war, that old Confederates would be under the Stars & Stripes in a U.S. Gov't position." Other items unrelated to the Civil War era include inventory, Jan. 1827, of the estate of Ja[me]s Goodwyn, for Mrs. Lucy Goodwyn, with list of African American slaves identified by name, signed by Abram D. Jones; and letter, 23 Mar. [19]37 (Allendale, S.C.), from Marie Kerrison Patterson to Edwin [in Charleston, S.C.], re division of Civil War letters of Charles and Edwin Kerrison among various members of the family, and requesting on behalf of Willie a photograph of Edwin, Jr., in uniform and of "Louise in her cap (does she wear one?)," and urging Edwin that he arrange for Loulie to have a physical examination during her visit to Charleston, "it is important... no one here can do it."
