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What if you could sit down and talk to a woman who was the daughter of a prominent plantation owner? Well, we did.
Her name is Nancy Bostick De Sausssure (1837-1915) and she was one of twelve children born to a prominent plantation owner in Hampton County, South Carolina. She was educated at home by private tutors and took music lessons in Charleston, where she met Henry William De Saussure. They married in 1859 and settled in Robertville, South Carolina, a central location from which Dr. De Saussure found it easier to visit patients.
We created a “fictional” interview with Mrs. De Saussure by excerpting actual statements she left in her journals and diaries. The lengthy, interesting and insightful interview can be found in full here.
This is a fascinating interview. In it, you will learn things like:
- What life was like for slaves on a real plantation during the Civil War?
- How were slaves cared for medically?
- Was there a master-slave attachment?
- Were de Saussure’s slaves treated well?
- What was it like to personally observe the firing upon Ft. Sumter?
- How did Charlestonians feel about the war?
- What kind of destruction and ruin did Charlestonians experience?
- And many more interesting questions answered by a personal witness who was just 24 years old in 1861.
To read the entire interview click here.
