"Submissiveness is not my role, but certain platitudes on certain occasions
are among the innocent deceits of the sex." A strong character with a fervent
belief in woman's changing place, Lucy Holcombe Pickens (1832-1899)
was not content to live the life of a typical nineteenth-century Southern
belle. Wife of Francis Wilkinson Pickens, the secessionist governor of
South Carolina on the eve of the Civil War, Lucy was determined to make
her mark in the world. She married "the right man," feeling that "a woman
with wealth or prestige garnered from her husband's position could attain
great power." She urged Pickens to accept a diplomatic mission to the court
of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, and in St. Petersburg Lucy captivated the
tsar and his retinue with her beauty and charm. Upon returning to the states,
she became first lady of South Carolina just in time to encourage a
Confederate unit named in her honor (The Holcombe Legion) off to war.
"When you enter the world you must take a stand, a position, whether it be
high or low rests with yourself.—"Lucy's advice to a brother
_________________________________________________________
ELIZABETH WITTENMYER LEWIS graduated from Jefferson Medical
School with an RN and served as first lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps
in World War II. She continued her education at Rice University in
Houston, where she currently lives.
What people are saying about this book
"How could one of the South's great and brainy belles with political savvy
disappear from history? Lucy Holcombe Pickens nearly did. She has been
rescued by Elizabeth Lewis's diligent research and devoted writing. Lewis
captures the essence of Lucy—her hauteur, independence, flirtations
(including Tsar Alexander II), courage, and patriotism—and so reveals much
about Rebel society."—Frank E. Vandiver
"The story of a Southern belle, whose life touched every stratum of society
wherever she lived—the South, Washington, Russia—who suffered and
triumphed in almost equal measure, and whose personality shines through
in this charmingly told tale."—Lynda L. Crist
"[T]his intimate portrait of Lucy offers useful perspectives on social and
political history."—Elizabeth A. H. John
"This book will be, to use an old clich‚ in sincerity, a welcome addition to
the field."—Martha Swain
