Louis Manigault (1828-1899) was a member of a prominent and influential family of rice planters from South Carolina and Georgia. In 1833, his father, Charles Manigault (1795-1874), purchased Gowrie and East Hermitage plantations located on Argyle Island in the Savannah River, several miles upstream from the port of Savannah. Louis managed these properties for his father from the 1850s through the Civil War and Reconstruction.
The Manigault Plantation Journal, compiled by Louis Manigault between 1856 and 1879, includes information on plantation life, slaves and slavery, rice cultivation, market conditions, accounts, and other topics. Notes and memoranda kept by Charles Manigault regarding the plantations during the 1830s and 1840s were pasted into the journal. Pages of particular interest include:
- A narrative of plantation life during the Civil War (pages 22-39)
- A hand-drawn and colored illustration of Gowrie House (page 41)
- A hand-drawn and colored illustration of the kitchen house at Gowrie Plantation (page 45)
- A narrative of a post-Civil War visit to the plantations (pages 55-71)
- A narrative of a trip to Scotland (pages 74-86)
- A list of slaves, including their names and ages, who were sold at auction in Charleston, 13 January 1859 (page 140)
- A photograph of "Dolly," a runaway slave, and an accompanying description (page 179)
The Manigault Plantation Journal is part of the Manigault Family Papers (#484), housed in the Manuscripts Department of The Wilson Library. An inventory of the materials in this collection is available at the Manuscripts Department's website.
