Lucy Pickens
Encyclopedia
Lucy Petway Holcombe Pickens (June 11, 1832 – August 8, 1899) was a 19th-century American
socialite
, known during and after her lifetime as the "Queen of the Confederacy". She was described as "beautiful, brilliant, and captivating" by her male contemporaries, and this perception of her helped shape the stereotype of the "Southern belle
".
She was born to Beverly LaFayette Holcombe and Eugenia Dorothea Hunt Holcombe at the family plantation
near La Grange, Tennessee
. She attended La Grange Female Academy before switching to a finishing school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
with older sister Anna Eliza, from 1846–1848. In 1848, the Holcombes moved to Marshall, Texas
and lived in the Capitol Hotel while waiting for the construction of their plantation Wyalucing.
In the summer of 1857, she met Colonel Francis Wilkinson Pickens
of South Carolina, who proceeded to court her with little success. In January 1858, after his defeat for a Senate seat, he accepted an appointment as the U.S. ambassador to Russia
. Suddenly she accepted his previous proposal and they were married at Wyalucing on April 26, 1858.
Lucy became a favorite at the Russian court of Alexander II
. She and her husband were befriended by Alexander and his wife Maria Alexandrovna. Lucy gave birth to a daughter, Francis Eugenia Olga Neva, who was also known as Douschka Pickens
in the Winter Palace
. The tsar and tsaritsa became Godparent
s of the Pickens' daughter and the tsar gave her the nickname of Douschka, meaning Darling in Russian
.
A longing for South Carolina and its increasing movement toward secession caused the Pickens family to return home in August 1860. Francis W. Pickens was elected governor by the General Assembly of South Carolina on December 17, only three days before the State seceded from the Union. Lucy was an advocate of the secession of the U.S. Southern states, and was the only woman to be depicted on the currency
of the Confederate States of America
(three issues of the $100 CSA bill and one issue of the $1 CSA bill, which were printed in Columbia, South Carolina
). She was also featured on one issue of $1,000 CSA loan certificates. In April 1861, Lucy witnessed the shelling of Fort Sumter
from a rooftop in Charleston, South Carolina
. In November 1861, a unit of the Confederate Army
was formed and called the Holcombe Legion in her honor and she designed and sewed its flag. It is claimed that she financed its equipment by the sale of some of the jewels given to her by the tsar.
Pickens was also the author of a short novel called "The Free Flag of Cuba", which is a romanticized account of the exploits of Cuban freedom fighter Narciso López
. It was published in 1854 under the name "H. M. Hardimann" and, until recently, was believed lost.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, known during and after her lifetime as the "Queen of the Confederacy". She was described as "beautiful, brilliant, and captivating" by her male contemporaries, and this perception of her helped shape the stereotype of the "Southern belle
Southern belle
A southern belle is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's upper class....
".
She was born to Beverly LaFayette Holcombe and Eugenia Dorothea Hunt Holcombe at the family plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
near La Grange, Tennessee
La Grange, Tennessee
La Grange is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 136 at the 2000 census. The town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as La Grange Historic District.-Geography:...
. She attended La Grange Female Academy before switching to a finishing school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
with older sister Anna Eliza, from 1846–1848. In 1848, the Holcombes moved to Marshall, Texas
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
and lived in the Capitol Hotel while waiting for the construction of their plantation Wyalucing.
In the summer of 1857, she met Colonel Francis Wilkinson Pickens
Francis Wilkinson Pickens
Francis Wilkinson Pickens was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 69th Governor of South Carolina when the state seceded from the United States during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
of South Carolina, who proceeded to court her with little success. In January 1858, after his defeat for a Senate seat, he accepted an appointment as the U.S. ambassador to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Suddenly she accepted his previous proposal and they were married at Wyalucing on April 26, 1858.
Lucy became a favorite at the Russian court of Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
. She and her husband were befriended by Alexander and his wife Maria Alexandrovna. Lucy gave birth to a daughter, Francis Eugenia Olga Neva, who was also known as Douschka Pickens
Douschka Pickens
Francis Eugenia Olga Neva "Douschka" Pickens Dugas was the daughter of Governor Francis Wilkinson Pickens and Lucy Holcombe Pickens, wife of George Couvier Dugas. She was born in 1859 in Russia and rumour was that she was actually Tzar Alexander II's daughter. After the American Civil War she was...
in the Winter Palace
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from 1732 to 1917, the official residence of the Russian monarchs. Situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and...
. The tsar and tsaritsa became Godparent
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
s of the Pickens' daughter and the tsar gave her the nickname of Douschka, meaning Darling in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
A longing for South Carolina and its increasing movement toward secession caused the Pickens family to return home in August 1860. Francis W. Pickens was elected governor by the General Assembly of South Carolina on December 17, only three days before the State seceded from the Union. Lucy was an advocate of the secession of the U.S. Southern states, and was the only woman to be depicted on the currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
(three issues of the $100 CSA bill and one issue of the $1 CSA bill, which were printed in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
). She was also featured on one issue of $1,000 CSA loan certificates. In April 1861, Lucy witnessed the shelling of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
from a rooftop in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. In November 1861, a unit of the Confederate Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
was formed and called the Holcombe Legion in her honor and she designed and sewed its flag. It is claimed that she financed its equipment by the sale of some of the jewels given to her by the tsar.
Pickens was also the author of a short novel called "The Free Flag of Cuba", which is a romanticized account of the exploits of Cuban freedom fighter Narciso López
Narciso López
Narciso López was a Venezuelan adventurer and soldier, best known for an expedition aimed at liberating Cuba from Spain in the 1850s..- Life in Venezuela, Cuba, and Spain:...
. It was published in 1854 under the name "H. M. Hardimann" and, until recently, was believed lost.
Further reading
- Edmunds, John B., Jr., "Francis W. Pickens and the Politics of Destruction", U of North Carolina Press, 1986. ISBN 0-8078-1699-x
- Lewis, Elizabeth W., "Queen of the Confederacy: The Innocent Deceits of Lucy Holcombe Pickens", U of North Texas Press, 2002. ISBN 1-57441-146-2
- Stone, DeWitt B., Jr., "Wandering to Glory: Confederate Veterans Remember Evans' Brigade", U of South Carolina Press, 2002. ISBN 1-57003-433-8
- The Free Flag of Cuba, edited with an introduction by Orville and Georganne Burton. Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Press, 2002. ISBN 0-8071-2834-1