Clipping from The Spartanburg Herald, April 06, 1906.

Civil War veterans began to hold reunions almost immediately after the war ended. It was a chance to get together with others who shared in their experiences. The reunions usually took place between soldiers of the same side but still became symbols of reunification. Blue and Grey reunions also took place, though less often. One of the last joint reunions that took place was the 75th anniversary of Gettysburg, the average age of the veterans was 94.

This reunion in Columbia, SC took place 41 years after the war ended. In 1906 the veterans were ageing, and many were dying off. This was the last opportunity for many of them to get together. The Greenville Daily News reported on the event in great detail. The streets of Columbia, SC were decorated with Confederate flags, bunting, and “specially arranged lighting paraphernalia”. The veterans were met by a welcoming committee as their trains came into town and given cards directing them to their accommodations. Veterans were housed free of charge in the homes of Columbia residents (cap. 600), the “State hospital for the insane” (cap. 300), and the remainder in large tents. The veterans were also provided with two free meals a day, each day was served by a different ladies committee. A dining area was set up in a large storeroom on Main Street that was formerly occupied by the Murray Drug Concern.

On May 16^th the opening ceremony was held with many speakers including Governor Heyward. After the opening speeches a tribute was made to the Confederate dead followed by a roll call of each camp in attendance.

On May 17^th a ceremony was held on the state house grounds featuring a living battle flag made up of 100 children (click here for an example). The group of children were joined by the sponsors of the reunion, maids of honor, and a chorus. The paper reports that “many veterans were moved to tears. It was a sight to move the heart, a scene long to be remembered by both the old Confederates and the valiant little daughters of the Confederacy to the right and left.” The ceremony was followed by a parade at five o’clock where veterans walked through a double column of children tossing flowers.

On May 18^th the closing ceremony was held where there was a plea for better preservation of records. Each veteran was asked upon their return home to document their war experience and provide a copy to their camp and their family “as the “thin gray line” is more rapidly thinning each year.” The veterans were invited to a reception at the governor’s mansion which was met “with applause, and several were on their feet at one time saying that Heyward should be nominated for a third term as governor.” Overall, the event was seen as a huge success where “none have gone hungry and none have been without quite and comfortable sleeping quarters.” It was also reported that “old and feeble as some are, there has not been one case of serious sickness, barring the case of Veteran W. J. Boon, of Camden, who dropped dead of a hemorrhage on a street car.”

Citations:

"1938 Reunion Then and Now." National Park Service, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/photosmultimedia/1938-reunion-then-and-now.htm.

"Children Form Flag." Greenville Daily (Greenville, SC), May 18, 1906.

Cook, Huestis Pratt. Human Confederate Flag. Library of Virginia. 1907. Postcard. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/203hpr-ef4f6c5e5a15b4d/.

“Reunions.” Civil War Center. The Center for Civil War Research. September 25, 2023. https://www.civilwarcenter.olemiss.edu/reunions.html.

"Reunion Now Over." Greenville Daily (Greenville, SC), May 19, 1906.

"SC Governors-Duncan Clinch Heyward, 1903-1907." SCIWAY, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.sciway.net/hist/governors/heyward.html.

Stroud, Mike. "South Carolina State Hospital, Mills Building: South Carolina Lunatic Asylum." The Historical Marker Database, May 8, 2012. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=36118.

“To Confederates.” Spartanburg Herald (Spartanburg, SC), April 6, 1906: 4, NewsBank. 

"Veterans are all Happy in Columbia." Greenville Daily (Greenville, SC), May 17, 1906.

"William J. 'Billy' Boone." Find a Grave, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37636667/william-j-boone.

Who is J.H. Dauval?

What was Greenville like at this time?

Did James and Blanche get married in 1908?

What other events were taking place at this time?

The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI).  An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details. 

• Contributing Institution - Piedmont Historical Preservation Society
• Collection Name - Margaret Payne Collection
• Language - English
• Rights - Copyright held by the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society; no reproduction without written consent from the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society.
• Notes – Handwritten letter dated April 06, 1906. Three pages. Includes envelope, No postmark.

This Statue of Wade Hampton III was erected in Columbia, SC on November 20, 1906, six months after the Confederate veteran reunion was held there. It was funded by the State Commission, the United Daughters of the Confederacy (Wade Hampton Chapter), and the United Confederate Veterans (Hampton Camp).

The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is a women's heritage group, it was formed in 1894. They are primarily recognized for their efforts to commemorate Confederate Civil War veterans, preserve the memory of the Confederacy, and advocate for the "Lost Cause" interpretation of Southern history. Women’s groups such as the UDC had been on the rise prior to the Civil War, but the late 19^th century saw a significant increase in the number of organizations formed. The trend started in the North and Midwest in the late 1880’s and rapidly spread across the country. Women formed societies focused on many interests including Progressive reform.

The UDC followed the suit of the Daughters of the American Revolution, with a hereditary requirement for membership. To become a member of the UDC you were required to be a women sixteen years of age or older and be able to prove to be the descendant of a man or women "who served honorably in the Army, Navy or Civil Service of the Confederate States of America, or gave Material Aid to the Cause.” By 1900 the group had 20,000 members and by 1918 they had 100,000.

The UDC reflected the Progressive movement of the time with their benevolent work. They raised money to help ageing veterans, war widows, and their children. They also raised money to help build homes for the poor and the elderly. The UDC was more successful in fundraising than their male counterparts who were also less interested in helping women. The UDC therefore built more group homes for those in need than the Sons of the Confederacy. As the veterans and their families died, they began to support homeless shelters, food banks, and other charities. They also maintained Confederate graveyards.

The UDC also honors veterans from other conflicts who are descended from Confederate veterans. Captain Alexander S. Erwin became the first to receive the Southern Cross of Honor on April 26, 1900. The Southern Cross of Honor is the highest honor of the UDC. In 1919 the UDC declared any descendant that had fought in WWI eligible and eventually extended the honor to any conflict veteran that was a confederate descendant.

The UDC are most well known for their advocation of the “Lost Cause”. The Lost Cause portrays antebellum slavery as a benign institution, Confederate soldiers as valiant defenders of states' rights, and Reconstruction as a time of Northern hostility.

The UDC supported the idea of the Lost Cause by erecting monuments and conducting educational initiatives. It is estimated that the UDC erected between 450-700 monuments commemorating the Confederacy. Educating children about the Confederacy was a primary goal of the UDC. They created the Children of the Confederacy, an auxiliary organization in 1898. They instilled the tenets of the Lost Cause in children with a set of catechisms that used a question-and-answer format for rote memorization. In 1908 the position of historian-general was created in the UDC to review textbooks for information that was “unjust to the South.”

Citations:

"DAR History." Daughters of the American Revolution. Accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.dar.org/national-society/about-dar/dar-history.

Iconic America | Stone Mountain: United Daughters of the Confederacy Commemorate i Lost Soldiers. WETA National Productions. July 24, 2023. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWDUPYi1wj0.

Janney, Caroline E. “The Lost Cause.” Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, December 7, 2020. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/lost-cause-the/.

Janney, Caroline E. “United Daughters of the Confederacy.” Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, December 7, 2023. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/united-daughters-of-the-confederacy/.

Jones, Jessica. "After Years Of Research, Confederate Daughter Arises." NPR, August 7, 2011. https://www.npr.org/2011/08/07/138587202/after-years-of-research-confederate-daughter-arises.

Kenzer, Robert. "Civil War Widows." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, December 7, 2020. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/civil-war-widows/.

Martinez, Jamie. "Black Confederates." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, December 7, 2020. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/black-confederates/.

Stone, Cornelia. "U. D. C. Catechism for Children (1904)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Viginia Humanities, December 7, 2023. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/u-d-c-catechism-for-children-1904/.

"U.S. History Primary Source Timeline." Library of Congress, accessed November 30, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/2t74u7bk.

“Wade Hampton III Monument.” Historic Columbia. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://www.historiccolumbia.org/tour-locations/1200-gervais-street.

"Wade Hampton." American Battlefield Trust. Accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/wade-hampton.

Wills, Matthew. "Women's Clubs and the 'Lost Cause.'" JSTOR Daily, August 24, 2020. https://daily.jstor.org/womens-clubs-and-the-lost-cause/.

Main Street in Greenville, SC in 1905. Note the dirt road and streetcar rails.

Work Boots Ad 1907

The average cost of men’s shoes in 1906 was between $1.50-$5 depending on the style and quality. A work boot like the one above would be around $2 in 1906, in 2023 that would be the equivalent of $68.23. Most men in the early 1900s wore boots as their everyday shoe, but the style differed depending on class. Work boots had a plainer style and were made from tougher materials than dress boots.

Sample of average male wages in South Carolina:

Citations:

"A History of Shoes." The Victoria and Albert Museum, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.vam.ac.uk/shoestimeline/. 

Department of Labor. History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928. United States Government Printing Office: Washington, 1938. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_0604_1934.pdf.

Government Documents Department, Ellis Library. “Prices and Wages by Decade: 1900-1910.”Library Guides Missouri. University of Missouri, Columbia, October 9, 2023. https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1900-1909.

Main Street, Greenville, S.C. (1905). Gary Stock Bridge 617. Image. https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/media/greenville-main-street-1905-dab44c.

Sessions, Debbie. “1900s-1910s Men’s Shoe and Boot History | Edwardian Era.” Vintage Dancer. April 6, 2021. https://vintagedancer.com/1900s/1900s-1910s-mens-shoe-and-boot-history/.

"The History of Greenville." City of Greenville, accessed November 30, 2023. https://www.greenvillesc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1317/History-of-Greenville-PDF?bidId=.

Webster, Ian. “Value of $2 from 1906 to 2023.” Official Data. October 10, 2023. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1906?amount=2.