Conclusion

            The US Civil War had a wide variety of effects on the southern gentry. The story of Gunston Hall and James Mason Murray is not that different from what historians currently accept as to what happened. In the case of Gunston Hall, it was quite damaged during the war although likely not by the Union, and was purchased out of the Mason family to where it was bought by a Republican abolitionist who fought on behalf of the Union. For the descendants of the George Mason IV, many of whom owned slaves and supported the Confederacy, seeing the symbol and pride of their family being destroyed and purchased by the “dreaded carpetbagger” would have contributed to the feelings of shame and bitterness which very well may have contributed in the development of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. James Murray Mason had his main home and plantation of Selma was destroyed and like many men of the gentry, his son even served as an officer for the Confederate military. James Murray Mason remained in exile in Canada for several years after the war due to his bitterness, was forced to relocate to Clarens (although still retaining much wealth), was stripped of his voting rights, and was forced to hire black servants to work at Clarens which was against the very values he stood for. The resentment held by James Murray Mason may have very well influenced later generations as his daughter, Virginia, involved herself with the United Daughters of the Confederacy later in life. It is also important to note that all the gentry examined lost the ownership of their slaves which was directly related to wealth.

            It is not entirely fair to say that the war only had extremely negative effects on the gentry. When Betsey Clapham Mason is examined, the Civil War did not affect her too harshly. Chestnut Hill was saved from being scorched due to the respect the Union officer in the area had for the Mason family, which is an interesting contrast between the plantation owned by James Murray Mason. Huntley, which was given to her sons was sold due to debt that accrued similar to much of the properties of the gentry, and Colross, while not destroyed, was rented out to a Union officer while Betsey had fled to Maryland during the war but was able to live the rest of her life in Colross with her grandchildren. Betsey Clapham Mason was quite lucky, and except for having to decamp from her home, she serves as a reminder that not every one of the southern gentry suffered horribly. In conclusion, the south’s gentry was affected in a variety of ways; while many suffered the loss of property, carried feelings of shame and bitterness, some of the gentry were lucky to not experience too many of the negative effects of the war and got to retain a fair amount of their wealth.

            Further research could be done on women during the Civil War. Betsey Mason Clapham was quite wealthy among residents of the United States and a further look into the daily lives of upper-class women during the war while using the Betsey Clapham Mason as an example may be interesting. If Betsey Clapham Mason also produced any writings, you could also use her writings to see if she harbored any unpleasant feelings like much of the gentry did. While working on this project, no reactions to Daniels’ endeavors at Gunston Hall could be found and research on how the southern aristocracy responded to Daniels would be interesting as well. Lastly, further research could be conducted on the black domestic servants living at Clarens and perhaps a further insight on why they were living there and how they were treated could be fascinating to research.