Scope and Content Note
The papers of Esther Hill Hawks (1833-1906) span the years 1856-1876, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1861-1867. Hawks was a medical doctor who with her husband, also a doctor, treated African-American soldiers during the Civil War and taught at Freedmen's schools in South Carolina and Florida. The collection consists chiefly of letters to Hawks, 1862-1863, from her husband, John Milton Hawks; brothers Edward O. Hill (New Hampshire Volunteers, 4th Regiment) Warren S. Hill, and Sylvester J. Hill (New Hampshire Volunteers, Ninth Regiment); and convalescent soldiers in hospitals at Beaufort, South Carolina. Correspondence from J. M. Hawks discusses his work with freedmen, African-American life, and the progress of the war in South Carolina. Letters from the Hill brothers concern the Port Royal expedition, the occupation of Jacksonville, Fernandina, and St. Augustine, Florida, and camp life. There is also correspondence between Esther Hawks and members of the National Freedmen's Relief Association, and from Rufus Saxton, military governor of the Department of the South. Additional material includes returns for the 1st and 3rd South Carolina Volunteers, schools records, including names of African-American students taught by Hawks, and military passes.