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Letters from Port Royal
Written at the Time of the Civil War (1862-1868)
"Letters from Port Royal" by Elizabeth Ware Pearson is a collection of letters written during the Civil War, particularly from the years 1862 to 1868. The letters are penned by a group of Northern volunteers who traveled to Port Royal, South Carolina, to assist formerly enslaved people and manage plantations after the Union captured the area. The correspondence provides a vivid account of their personal experiences, challenges, and observations regarding the lives of Freedmen and their efforts to cultivate the land. The opening of the collection sets the stage for this historical period, detailing the arrival of the volunteers and their initial impressions of the Sea Islands, the newly freed African American populations, and the agricultural landscape. The primary figure, Edward S. Philbrick, communicates his excitement and sense of duty to contribute positively to the lives of the freedmen, while navigating the complexities of supervising their labor in an unaccustomed environment. As the letters unfold, they capture the dynamic interactions between the volunteers and the local population, the challenges posed by the remnants of slavery, and the gradual establishment of trust and cooperation in the face of historical upheaval.