Williams Middleton (1809-1883)
Williams Middleton, Signer of the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession
In opposition to his father's beliefs, he and his brother, John, supported the Confederacy and voted for South Carolina to be removed from the Union. This ultimately led to the Civil War and the destruction of Middleton Place which Williams had inherited in 1846. In 1865, the mansion was ransacked by Union Troops and put to the torch. Williams could only afford to repair the south dependency, and made his home there.
