On my first trip ever to Charleston, SC, I wanted to see as
much history as we could squeeze into the few days we were there. On our trip to the Fort Sumpter Visitor’s
Center, I spotted a partial French porcelain tea set from the 1830s.
Seeing cups and saucers that would have been part of
Charleston life wasn’t unexpected. However, the reason these artifacts were
included in the museum was. The set had
been donated for a Gunboat fair. Families gave up their prized possessions to
be sold or raffled off to raise money for the war effort, in this case, to
raise funds to build a gunboat for the Confederate Navy.
Items such as a tea set, a linen fan, even a string of
pearls—anything that might bring in some needed cash. Mary Boykin Chestnut,
raised the daughter of a planter and married to Brigadier General James
Chestnut, Jr., an aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the
frivolousness of such heirlooms when lives were at stake: “Our silver and gold, what are they?—when we
give up to war our beloved.”
Here’s the picture I took through the display case so you
can see the colors of the tea service. Pretty, isn’t it?
For more information, check out “Stolen Charleston--The
Spoils of War” by J. Grahame Long.
Tracy
Thanks Tracy. Sometimes it's the little things that bring home how wars are dealt with by the non-combatants. Doris
ReplyDeleteTracy, that is fascinating. I never heard of a "gunboat tea"--I learned something today! Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteTracy,
ReplyDeleteThese little gems of history are what I love about writing historical western romances. Gun boat tea is such a quaint name.