The digital collections at Furman University Library are full of hidden treasures that contain rich historical, cultural, and educational content. One such collection is the Elizabeth Pringle Diaries.
Elizabeth Waties Allston Pringle (1845-1921) was born in 1845 on Pawley’s Island, South Carolina to politician and rice farmer, Robert F.W. Allston and his wife, Adele Petigru. Elizabeth spent her youth either at boarding school in Charleston or at the family home, a rice plantation named Chicora Wood, located on the Pee Dee River near Georgetown. She began keeping a diary in 1861, at the age of 16, and maintained a dairy throughout the rest of her life. In 1870, Elizabeth married farmer John Julius Pringle, but after 6 short years of marriage, he passed away. Following her husband’s death, Elizabeth purchased his land and began running a farm. She would go on to purchase her childhood home, Chicora Wood, and managed that farm as well. To help supplement her income, Elizabeth also wrote a weekly column for the New York Sun under the pseudonym Patience Pennington in which she talked about her life as a southern rice farmer. She would later use these columns and her diaries as the basis for her two books A Woman Rice Planter (1914) and Chronicles of Chicora Wood (published posthumously in 1922). In December of 1921, Elizabeth Pringle passed away at her family home and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, SC.
Elizabeth’s diaries offer a fascinating glimpse into the life of a woman who was raised in the antebellum south, experienced the Civil War first-hand (at one point fleeing from a raid by General Sherman), suffered the loss of close family and friends, tackled the nontraditional role of female farmer, blossomed into a writer, and then passed away in the years following World War I.
Below is an entry from her 1861 diary, written the day after the First Battle of Bull Run.
Monday, July 22nd [1861]
There is glorious & at the same time very painful news. Today, we have gained a great victory at Manassas, but at what a cost! Bee Johnston (not the General) was killed and numbers of those we knew killed or wounded. We have not heard from our Brother, we know he was in the battle but I only trust he has not been hurt. I think if he had been it would have been mentioned in the paper. Theodore Barker and James Conner have both been wounded – their poor families! To find such news in reading the morning’s paper. It is too dreadful! The loss on our side is estimated at 200 killed – 300 wounded. So many of them officers. Many such victories will destroy us, but let us look on the bright side, we took Sherman’s celebrated battery, so distinguished in the Mexican War as Ringold’s [sic] battery this a great triumph, it has been so much dreaded. It was taken by Virginians. We must no longer think of them slightingly as has been since the affair in which the galant [sic] Drew fell. They behaved nobly at Manassas & saved Hampton’s Legion from entire destruction. I wonder how Mr. Vanderhorst is… is he alive… wounded… or dead… It is awful to think of so many whom we have known so well who many be no longer. [illegible] has just sent on a letter & small parcel by the Rev. Thomas Porter to brother, he is going on as Chaplain. I’m sure such men must be very much needed. Dr. Ogur is also going on as surgeon. I am very glad of it. They have none there, but very young & inexperienced men. Papa is somewhere there. Where I don’t know exactly… safe I hope. Mr. Brian has been very kind, bringing us all the news. He came very late last night to tell us what had come by telegraph of the battle.
View the Elizabeth Pringle Diaries (Furman University Digital Collections)
Read A Woman Rice Planter (University of North Carolina, Documenting the American South)
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