Local author uses family journal to capture S.C. during Civil War
Jun 5 2015 2:53 pm
Stephanie Turner
AUGUSTA - Historical preservationist Thomas Heard Robertson Jr. knew a bit about Gen. William Sherman's march through Georgia, but nothing really about his march through South Carolina.
That changed when his dad, Heard Robertson, told him about the diary of Confederate Surgeon Francis Marion Robertson, who is Tom's great-great-grandfather.
Thomas Heard Robertson Jr. transcribed and edited his ancestor's journal to publish "Resisting Sherman: A Confederate Surgeon' s Journal and the Civil War in the Carolinas, 1865."
Thomas Heard Robertson Jr. transcribed and edited his ancestor's journal to publish "Resisting Sherman: A Confederate Surgeon' s Journal and the Civil War in the Carolinas, 1865."
Tom edited the diary and accomplished his family's goal of having it published, resulting in "Resisting Sherman: A Confederate Surgeon's Journal and the Civil War in the Carolinas, 1865."
"Dr. (Francis Marion) Robertson's journal covers about three months during the chaotic ending weeks of the Confederacy, including the evacuation of Charleston and his journey ahead of Gen. William Sherman's advance through the Carolinas," Thomas wrote in his book.
Journey to publication
Lily Taylor Robertson, Francis' great-granddaughter, was the first to transcribe the "little hand-me-down volume," keeping the original diary in storage for 20 years, according to the book's introduction. That's when Heard took it and transcribed it again."As an avocational historian, he recognized its historical value and aimed to collaborate with his mother, Catherine Heard Robertson, to edit it for publication. Alas, the task was left unfinished, and the treasured original went back into the stocking box for another two decades," Thomas wrote in his book.
That's when Thomas found it, and, as he read it, he said he realized the "audience interest was wider than his family's," which fueled the desire to publish the book.
To start, Thomas "scanned the typescript version prepared by my father into a computer program and corrected the text to conform to the journal's original language," he wrote. "I left his original spelling and punctuation intact, except in a few places where I have inserted bracketed information for clarification."
Francis was very precise with his writing, which meant Thomas needed to do some research to make true sense of the text.
In addition to scouring the Internet, Thomas said he and his sisters Cecilia Robertson Queen and Catherine Barrett Robertson "retraced a good portion" of the Francis' route, stopping at Charleston, Edgefield, Florence and several other spots.
"To our delight, many landmarks and houses mentioned in the journal were still there after 140 years, and the history of that fateful period still lives in the minds and traditions of those we encountered along that route," Thomas wrote.
After he finished his editing, Thomas sought out a publisher and found California's Savas Beatie LLC, who he said "has a great track record in historical works."
Thomas will present artifacts, including the original diary, and sign and sell copies of his book Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Augusta Museum of History, 560 Reynolds St.
The author is also the president of Augusta's Cranston Engineering Group, P.C.
"Resisting Sherman: A Confederate Surgeon's Journal and the Civil War in the Carolinas, 1865" costs $26.95 and is available through Savas Beatie LLC and major online retailers such as Amazon.
For more information, visit www.savasbeatie.com.
Stephanie Turner graduated from Valdosta State University in 2012. She then signed on with the Aiken Standard, where she is now the arts and entertainment reporter.