The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-03
sUEFERINas or TIE sEABoARD

HAVOC OF War--Tho T1uc Condition OF
the Coast Region and an Interesting
Review OF the Causes Of tine Present
ImPoverishmont OF tho Pla nat ers I'm that {
A Charleston correspondent of the Baltimore
Gazette. writing in the interest Of the Souther n
Educational Society, says: ~
The true condition of the people or the coast
region Of South Caroline is little known or an.
preciated, and should be brought plainly before
institution. 7 therefore take the opportunitv
to enlarge upon the topic aid show how 1t has
been produced and what it rally is.
Charleston is planters town. The infiu-
ence Of planters and those who sold their crops
has ever predominated in society and in busi-
ness circles. The rice lands and the sea is
land cotton lands from Savannah to George
town, for thirty miles inlau1, were the rich-
est and most valuable in the State. The pro-
prietors of these plantations, owning from
one, two and three hundred negroes to Ave
hundred and even tbousand, bore the bur-
den Of taxation, and embc tsstttt, 10 a certain
extent the wealth and culture of South Oar
lima.
On the 9Th November, 1861, Port Royal
and Hilton Head were attached by Federal
consequence OF previous neglect on the part Of
the authorities at Richmond, they fell. and
during the remaining two and o half years OF
war peace and quiet torsook this whole coast
ASEiOu. AuO SOnlcu0Hdt0 duCUOcltlC6 GOrth.
with abandoned the sea islands aud sought on
the main land to confne the AREA Of Federal
operations, and to save and hold Charles
ton. line of defence. WIS established
1t ran through the upper portion Of the tide
swamp rice lands and lett the great BODY of
these plantations in the debatatle ground and
plcketed by Confederates. go L was occupied
Confederate soldiers. Their number was re-
ducea in tho spring. But from that time for
ward troops we're moved from place to place.
and quartered throughout the country, and it
peas, pota' oes. fodder, hay, straw, &c. Horses,
mules wagons, carts, cattle, hogs, sheep and
poultry were also taken. Houses were often
occupied by officers. outbu!ldipgs sometimes
fences used for frewood. Waste Ind desruc-
ton are inevitable concomitants OF war, and in
It's immediate presence they riot. The sub
sSanGe eh OF tae planters was either abandoned to
by the defenders OF the soil. The thunde1s Of
Fedora! guns were daily heard, attacks of
iahd forces were made, and expeditions
ny water ate along the numerous rivers penetrat-
ing the coast every few miles. The secret
efforts OF incendlary agents aud spies among
the negroes created and increased demo aIisa-
ton. Proprietors who kept their slaves on the
coast made little. and ran the risk Of losing
them by abduction and desertion. Those who
in order to avoid this, bought or leased unoc-
cupled places in the upper country and moved
their negroes, incurred great expense, planted
only 10 OBTAIN provisions, and paid heavily for
the coveted but unsubstantial SECURITY. Under
either arrangement the ricb plantations on che
seaboard went to ruiu. Then came the finish
Of the war. What its course had hitherto lett
ina was destructible, Sherman iE 1866 demol-
lshed. Dwelling houses, oserseers' houses.
expensive steam mills, barns, stables, cotton
houses, corn-h0uses anu fences were given to
the flames, and as q rule negro cabins alone
survived the confagratlon.
The closed with a 20
the property vested in slaves. the values
placed 10 Confederate bonds and currency were
also destroyed. The stocks of banks and rail-
roads we're worthless, tor the banka here had
loaned their money and credit to the Confeda-
up ana demolished State and CITY stec5s s ,isn IN
vowed IN the lost cause, were liable; and
rea! estate as the only properly they could
look to.
Sherman's notorious order No. 80, at the
fscate the lands from Savannah to Charleston.
thirty miles from the sea, for distribution
among the freedmen. And this authority.
manipulated by '.ths Bureau Of Freedmen and
ments Of the proprietors.
The plantations, when rescued from the
grippe OF Howard, Saxton Il Co., of the Bureau,
depended, for their use and value. upon the
labor. And this labor was systematically de-
moralized. Not satisfied with the inherent
ideas of freedom to steal and to shoot, which
took possession Of the African minds. Bureau
agents az carefully implanted agrarian views.
proceeds Of the labor Of slaves, and in Justice
belonged to them, and would be divided among
the negroes. In proof, Sherman's order and
the Bureau existed. Forty acres and q mule
ments to the glorious immunity from work for
the negro. The country here was his, the
white man was an intruder and rebel and
y work was an imposition. The negros occupa-
his ambition to sport gun for killing and
stealing purposes.
Hence loag array of crimes-insubordina-
tlon, robberies, outrages and murders-com-
mitted by the negroes in this region since the
war.
With plantations in the condition described.
the proprietors thus destitute OF the means OF
WORKING them, and with the essential labor In
tnls demorahzed and unreliable condition, it
was the necessity Of planters to plant, il they
could obtain the means.
Ordinary sea is and cotton bringing 81 so
pound, aud rice selling at $l4 and SIS per one
encouraged the planters and allured Northern
capitalists. The needy proprietors staked
their estates-their all; and the capitalists ven.
tured the funds required. But money was OBJ
searching and at great cost, fifteen, twenty or
thirty per cent, secured by mortgages, Or one
hah, one-third, OR m0ee of the crops, as in
ducement to plant on shares, with liens on the
After securing loans Of moGey the next diff
hculty was to contract with the demoralized
hands in way to suit their ideas Of freedom
and to get the required approval Of the Bu-
reau, men utterly ignorant Of the large
amount OF work needed to make Southern
crops and OF the value Of that work IN the
final returns. Generally. planters had to agree
to exorbitant terms, which nothing but eDor-
nous prices for their produce and excellent
seasons could possibly justify.
The season Of 1885 in this region was charac-
terized by q protracted drought, lasting
Though July, August and September. The
sea island co.ton crop suffered severely and
was out oaf-the little that was planted-say
from one-third TO one-half. The rice crop was
injured by want OF pure fresh water and by
the depredations OF r1ce birds during the har-
vest. and turned out light, so that there was
general disappointment in the yield. And the
prices, instead OF advancing, went down, and,
contrary to oil expectation, kept declining. But
the planters had to sell even at heavy losses.
The SO ,son OF 186! was very wet one. Fre-
qusnt and heavy rains occurred In June and
again in Saptember. The sea island cotton
crops we're damaged in the early summer and