His mother died when
he was very young, and his father moved west into the wilds of Mississippi.
The boy was left behind to be reared by his grandmother, a poor but clever
woman, who related to him tales of the Revolutionary War, through which she
had lived. During a visit to his father, these tales were supplemented by
stories of contemporary life on the borders of civilization. In this way
Simms acquired a large part of the material for his romances.
[Illustration: WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS]
He prospered financially, married well, became the owner of a fine estate,
and bent every effort to further southern literature and assist southern
writers. He became the center of a group of literary men in Charleston, of
whom Hayne and Timrod were the most famous. The war, however, ruined Simms.
His property and library were destroyed, and, though he continued to write,
he never found his place in the new order of life. He failed to catch the
public ear of a people satiated with fighting and hair-raising adventures.
He survived but six years, and died in Charleston in 1870.
Being of humble birth, Simms lacked the advantage of proper schooling.
Although he was surrounded by aristocratic and exclusive society, he did
not have the association of a literary center, such as the Concord and
Cambridge writers enjoyed.
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