The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-05-26
Correspondence of Cincinnati Commercial.
The Prestons and Hamptons.
INTERESTING FAMILY "REMINISCENCES.


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INTERESTING FAMILY "REMINISCENCES.
CoLUMB1A, S. c., April o..
"What fine large house is that standing over
there, surrounded on three sides by high brick
wall, and in front by. an ornamental iron fence
with marble pillars at each corner% Inquired
| of citizen.
"Oh, that's old General Preston's, and is said
to be the finest laid off grounds in the South.
There's whole square or four acres of it, and
all inside is every kind of shrubbery that you
could think of with gravel and shell walks run
ming all among it"
'Does Preston live there himselff"
eyes, considerably, but 1 believe he spends
most of his time in Europe. Has got consider
able money invested there in one way and an
other. He prophesied that the war would
come up o long time before it did, and SO to be
on the safe side, he sold most of his niggers,
and invested his money in Europe"
'What relation is he to the Hamptons 7"
aWhy, you see, he married daughter of old
Colonel Wade Hampton, who was the father OF
the present Wade Hampton, and his father-in-
law being very rich, gave him this fine property
that we've been speaking of.
'The old original Preston of all of them came
here years and years ago. He was from Vir-
ginia, and was on his way to Florida to get
cured of the consumption. He was a young
man then about twenty years old, and travelling
along towards Florida, he passed through here
and concluded to. stop, as he liked the climate
he went to school here awhile, married and
settled down. About that time old General
Wade Hampton, who had been Colonel in
the Revolutionary War, settled here, raised a
large family, and got rich. Preston also got
rich, and the families afterwards became con.
nected by marriage. They owned great many
plantations, and kept getting richer and richer
until the war came. Of course they all went
with the South, and many of them lost nearly
all of their property. General Wade Hamp-
ton owned very costly residence just out of
town, which the Yankees burned up. Orna-
menting the grounds around his house alone
cost him sixty thousand dollars. Now all his
fine shrubery are turned out and the ruins look
bad enough. On top of the war came lot OF
security debts, and the General had to take the
benefit of the bankrupt law. They say he is
now getting started again in Mississippi, and
will come out right side up.
"The Hamptons and Prestons are greatwork-
ers. You may make them poor but they won't
STAY so. Wade has one brother in Mississippi,
believe, who is very rich. Besides being rich,
they are all popular men, and if it had not
been for the war, there is no telling what the
two families would have come to. They would
have owned the State after awhile. But they
were very much set back during the war, and
some of them were killed. Thomas Hampton,
son of the present Wade, was killed in Virgin
ia when he was only twenty-one years old.
His remains were brought home, and passed
right along the street, followed by over hun
dred of his negroes, most of them crying, tor
they loved their young master: This was In
the fall of 1864. The following February here
come Sherman with fire and sword, and de-
stroyed great deal of property belonging to
the two families, so that they were crushed by
all kinds of misfortunes. 1t was all that could
be done to keep the army from burning that
fine house we were speaking of. But they left
it, and that is about all they did leave"
There are several grave yards in and about
Columbia, belonging to different churches, and
in one of them are the graves of the Hampton
and Preston families, all in one corner, partial.
ly to themselves. Finely wrought marble slabs
are over them all, upon which are engraved the
names and date of deaths. The insatiate reap
er has been at work among these great families,
for side by side repose the ashes of some twen-
ty-fve or thirty of them.
They are fgting stock, for one of the Oldest
tombstones bears this inscription:
General Wade Hampton, Colonel in the
Revolutionary War, and Major General In the
War of 1872, died in Columbia, February 4,
1885, aged 8S years."
Another, but recently erected, has this IN
scription: -,
of General Wade and Margaret Hampton, born
November 26, 1841, killed in battle, near Pe-
tersburg, Va, October q, 1854"
Upon this tomb was lying large wreath OF
n I,,kk l.. Ayri hQd
faded them, and they were fast dying. Like
the body under the slab, they had been cut
down in the spring-time of life, just as they
were blooming into fragrance and beauty Young
Hampton fell when he lacked but few days
of reaching mans estate, which makes MS
death all the more sad. Death is cruel mon
ster any time; but when he cuts down the
Young buoyant' and hopeful, he seems doubly
80.
The Hamptons and Prestons all espoused the
cause of the South when the struggle began,
and considering their location and interests, 1t
ia but Justice to say that such course was nat
ural. That they were in earnest, and not act
uated by selfish motives, let their deeds testify;
when the die was cast and the battle came, they
were not found shirking. :,
The families are both very popular with the
negroes (; their old servants will not leave them,
but remain as faithful to their interests as be-
fore the war Wade Hampton is as strong a
friend to the negro as he can be, and remains
in the Democratic party; he always befriends
them both in public and in private when occa-
sion demands. The negroes appreciate his no
Bile stand in their behak, and am not sure
but he would make melancholy inroads into
the ranks of the Loyal League if he should
run for an Office. There is no danger OF that,
howevsr. as he is too busily engaged in trying
to build up his scattered fortunes, to go into
politics. Nevertheless, as loudly as we may
Shrek sRebel," and lash ourselves into fury
over the misdeeds of the great families of the
South. on sober, second thought, it is evident it
would be better for the colored people, better
for the State and better for the nation, to have
VI Wade de- Hampton lamp in Congress rather than Cadet
Whittemore at all events it would save the
Ia,.,,hlicun marty some disgrace, which is de-