Hugh T. Harrington

Prior to the American Revolution the young Robert Heriot emigrated from Scotland to seek his fortune. He soon fell in love with the beautiful heiress Mary Ouldfield. He was young with no immediate prospects. Yet, Mary chose him over her other suitors. After their marriage Robert immediately became a wealthy plantation owner and took on the civic responsibilities of his new, and lofty, social position.

When the Revolutionary War came to South Carolina, the Heriots were often separated, with Mary remaining in Georgetown, and Robert, now a militia officer, serving where ordered. After the fall of Charles Town in 1780, life was turned upside down. Robert surrendered, and was paroled, but was not permitted to stay in Georgetown. Mary contended with life in Georgetown, which was occupied by enemy troops. Former friends were now Tories and could not be trusted. British officers were living in her home. Mary had to deal with her own, often sick and sometimes dying, young children. She also had to run their plantation. The difficulties faced by the Heriots were often extreme.

We, almost 250 years later, are treated with a up-close view of the Heriots' situation, as many of the long beautifully-written letters that passed between them have survived. They tell of the hardships, the fears, and the life they were forced to endure. Knowing that their letters would be read by the enemy, they had to be careful what was written as the British could be brutal.

The Heriots' letters provide us with an authentic real-time, on-the-spot look at their lives during the tumultuous American Revolution.