Abbeville in Abbeville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Abbeville County Confederate Monument
"The world shall yet decide,
In truth's clear, far-off light,
That the soldiers who wore the gray, and died
With Lee were in the right!"
"Brave men may die - right has no death;
Truth never shall pass away."
"Come from the four winds,
O breath and breathe upon these slain,
That they may live."
Their silent tents are spread
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead."
Crossed Swords & Crossed Rifles
Ordinance of Secession
Adopted Dec. 20, 1860
William Henry Simpson
July 31, 1907 - May 17, 1992
For His Beloved Abbeville
December 14, 1996
We have furled it; slowly, sadly;
Once we loved it, proudly, gladly,
And we fought beneath it madly,
Fought in bloody, deathly fray;
For we swore to those who gave it,
In triumph we would wave it,
Or life's crimson ride should lave it,
Ere to blue should yield the gray.
And like those who bore it, jaded,
For through lakes of blood, they waded
Nor did weary footsteps lag,
Oh! 'Twas hard to fold and yield it,
While a man was left to shield it,
For 'twas Dixie's Bonnie Flag.
"Honor the Brave."
They knew their rights and dared to main them."
Erected by the Daughters of the
Abbeville County, 1906.
Dedicated to the soldiers of
held at Abbeville, S.C., Nov. 22, 1860.
Abbeville, S.C., May 2, 1865.
August 23, 1906
Destroyed by Fire
December 28, 1991
Second Monument Erected
December 14, 1996
Erected 1906 by Daughters of the Confederacy of Abbeville County.
Marker series. This marker is included in the South Carolina, Abbeville Historical Sites Tour, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy marker series.
Location. 34° Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Abbeville SC 29620, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. "Big Bob" (here, next to this marker); Abbeville Square (here, next to this marker); The Law Offices of John C. Calhoun (a few steps from this marker); Old Bank Building (ca. 1865) (within shouting distance of this marker); Major Thomas Dry Howie (within shouting distance of this marker); Humane Society Alliance Fountain (1912) (within shouting distance of this marker); Abbeville Opera House (1908) (within shouting distance of this marker); Lynching of Anthony Crawford / Racial Violence in South Carolina (within shouting distance of this marker); Abbeville County Courthouse (1908) (within shouting distance of this marker); Belmont Inn (1903) (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abbeville.
Regarding Abbeville County Confederate Monument. The monument shown is actually Abbeville's second Confederate monument. The first was erected August 23, 1906 but was demaged by fire from a Christmas tree display on December 28, 1991. The damaged marker was donated to the Southern Culture Centre
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. The Bivouac of the Dead. Monument North Base, Poem by Theodore O'Hara, 1847 (Submitted on August 31, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
2. Monument replacement raises tension, Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, December 12, 1996. The statewide debate over the Confederate flag might add tension to a small Saturday ceremony in Abbeville, S.C. (Submitted on February 15, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. Town unveils Confederate monument, Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, December 15, 1996. The new South reached back to touch the old Saturday. (Submitted on November 14, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
4. SIRIS Entry on Original Monument. Abbeville Confederate Monument, (sculpture). (Submitted on March 15, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
5. Abbeville Historic District. The Abbeville Historic District is comprised of a large portion of the city of Abbeville, the county seat of Abbeville County, South Carolina. (Submitted on September 2, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
1. Abbeville Confederate Dead
Abbeville lost her first son in the Civil War on February 13, 1861. J. Clark Allen was killed accidentally on Sullivanís Island. By the end of the war,
— Submitted September 10, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
2. Armistead Burt - Quotes on Secession
Armistead Burt spoke at the first secession meeting and was an ardent supporter of secession throughout the war. His support resulted in his home being the final meeting place of Jefferson's Davis' war cabinet as it fled south from Richmond. The following are quotes from Burt regarding the hot topic of the day: secession.
“If you are not ready to lay down life and fortune, you are not prepared for secession. The North cannot and will not part with you, and the treasure she wrings from you, without a mighty struggle.” – May 17, 1851, Abbeville Banner.
“Why speak of war? Why speak of bloodshed? There will be no war. There will be no bloodshed. I will guarantee to drink all the blood that is shed in a wine cup, and a very small wine cup at that.” – November 22, 1860, Abbeville Secession Meeting. (Source: Old Abbeville: Scenes of the Past of a Town Where Old Times Are Not Forgotten, by Lowry Ware)
3. Confederate Monument
Abbeville Press & Banner
August 29, 1903
Last Thursday, August 23, 1906, was a "Red Letter" day for Abbeville, the occasion being the unveiling of the Confederate Monument which marks another glorious and grand epoch in the history of our city.
The day arose threateningly with low murky clouds floating through the sky, but the rain was withheld and the clouds only served as a partial covering from the rays of the sun.
Long before the hour announced for the unveiling of the monument, crowds were pouring in from every avenue to the city until the public square was filled with a seething mass of human beings watching and waiting for the hour to arrive.
Soon the sound of martial music was heard with all eyes turned to the upper part of the square and as the parade drew near a company of 15 young ladies uniformed in white with red sashes, upon each of which was written the name of the state the wearer represented. These were preceded by the officers of the day and the First Artillery Band of the U.S. Army, while the old veterans brought up the rear under the command of that gallant and brave officer, J. Fuller Lyon.
As the column neared the Monument, the band struck up "Dixie" causing
This parade marched in and encircled the Monument, when the exercises were opened with prayer by Rev. Preston B. Wells of the Methodist church, after which Mrs. Lucy Calvert Thomson, President of the Abbeville Chapter of the U.D.C. was introduced, and standing upon the base of the Monument, she presented it to the city in a few well chosen words appropriate to the occasion.
Dr. G.A. Neuffer was then introduced and in a happy style and appropriate remarks received the Monument in behalf of the city. Then it was than Miss Mary Klugh and Miss Lucy White, daughters respectively of Judge J.C. Klugh and Mr. Charlie White, pulled the strings that unveiled the Monument, and the 15 young ladies representing the 15 states sang that beautiful patriotic air, "The Bonny Blue Flag" which called forth lusty cheers.
The exercises around the monument being over the crowd moved to the band stand in the pretty shaded park just in front of the Eureka...In the afternoon a match game of ball was played at the Abbeville diamond between Greenwood and Due West in the presence of a large crowd. The game was hotly contested from start to finish and wound up 6 to 4 in favor of Greenwood whose team played only 8 innings.
The day's pleasure concluded with a ball at the Eureka Hotel in the evening. The large hall was crowded and all
— Submitted December 31, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
4. Original Monument Burns - Re-dedication of New Monument
Abbeville was the site of the first public secession meeting in South Carolina and the last meeting of the Confederate Cabinet. As early as November 1885, there had been talk among the citizens of Abbeville that a memorial to the Confederate soldiers of Abbeville District should be erected. The Abbeville Chapter of the U.D.C. was organized in 1896, its primary goal to erect a monument honoring Abbeville District's 350 war dead. Under the presidency of Lucy Calvert Thompson, this chapter gave numerous entertainments and, by February 1906, had raised $3,300 in contributions from the citizens of Abbeville. There was, however, considerable opposition to the monument project. At least two Abbeville newspaper editors argued that the money could better be spent on the Thornwell Orphanage and similar projects. Nevertheless, the U.D.C. met in the Abbeville County Courthouse on February 28,1906, to receive designs and bids for the monument. The U.D.C. selected a design submitted by the Butler Brothers Marble Company of Marietta, Georgia. The bid was for $3,000, and the design called for a spire to be mounted upon a suitable base. The contract
The U.D.C. began celebrating its success four days before the unveiling.
There were baseball games, a comedy show, and, on August 22, a reception on the lawn of the Starke mansion for the adults of Abbeville and their visitors. The next day, August 23, 1906, Abbeville prepared for the unveiling and dedication ceremony. A contemporary photograph showed a cloudy day with a large crowd filling the town square for the 11:00 a.m. ceremony. The First Artillery Band of the U.S. Army led the parade from the upper end of the square to the monument-an activity Abbevillians viewed as a gesture of unity on this day only forty-one years after war's end. Following the band came the speaker and officers of the day, then fifteen young ladies representing the twelve Confederate states plus Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland. Abbeville's Confederate veterans brought up the rear. As the column neared the monument, the band struck up "Dixie," and veterans raised the "old rebel yell."
The parade encircled the monument, which was covered by a massive, white cotton veil.
In the bandstand, Robert R. Hemphill, a veteran of the Marshall Riflemen, Company G, Orr's First S.C. Rifle Regiment, introduced the popular Irish orator, James Armstrong, Jr. Armstrong had been captain of Charleston's Irish Volunteers, Company K, First (Gregg's) S.C. Volunteer Regiment and had suffered at least five wounds. He was captured at Sutherland Station on April 2, 1865, and held in a prison hospital for eleven months. His leg wound finally healed in 1871. Armstrong had recently
The large monument, with its ten-foot square base, is situated in its original location in the most prominent spot of the town square. The monument immediately became the centerpiece of Abbeville's beautiful downtown area. The U.D.C. and the city maintained the monument through the years. Unfortunately, a disaster altered its appearance.
In the early morning hours of December 28, 1991, the Christmas greens caught fire. Damaged by the intense heat, many of the raised letters fell off, making some of the inscriptions illegible. The granite cracked and soot and smoke marred the monument's beauty. Fearing it would collapse and hurt someone, the upper eighteen-foot portion of the obelisk was removed. Because the U.D.C. considered restoration of the monument both undesirable and financially unfeasible, efforts at replacement began. The U.D.C argued that because it had presented the monument to the city, the city was responsible for its replacement. In 1976, a circuit court judge supported this argument and ruled that the city was responsible for any damage caused by the "Christmas tree" practice. The city unsuccessfully sought to have the damage covered under its insurance with the State of South Carolina. Estimates at replacement ran as high as $360,000.
Abbeville's monument is one of the few Confederate monuments in South Carolina that adorn a town square. Its location and the inherent beauty of its design made the original monument
The dedication ceremony took place on December 14, 1996, at 11:00 a. m. The Abbeville High School Grenadier Band opened the ceremony at the Opera House with "The Grand Old Flag." The color guard from Company A, 111th Signal Battalion of the South Carolina Army National Guard presented the national and state flags. Reverend James J. Robinson, representing the Abbeville City Council, gave the invocation.
— Submitted February 4, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
5. Violence at the 1906 Unveiling
According to the Keowee Courier, September 12, 1906:
"On the occasion of the unveiling of the Confederate monument negroes got so boisterous that it was necessary to knock a few in the head and run others out of town and it is said a riot was narrowly averted."
This quote came from an article about the closing of Harbison College, a black school located in Abbeville. The school was closed just a few days after the erection of the monument. The college president's house is listed in the National Register and has its own entry.
— Submitted December 12, 2012, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Categories. • War, US Civil •
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