Augusta Wilson

Augusta Wilson
Evans in 1890
Born	Augusta Jane Evans May 8, 1835 Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Died	May 9, 1909(1909-05-09) (aged 74) Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Resting place	Magnolia Cemetery
Occupation	Author
Language	English
Genre	Southern literature
Notable works	St. Elmo
Spouse	Lorenzo Madison Wilson ​ ​ (m. 1868)​
Signature

Augusta Jane Wilson (née Evans; May 8, 1835 – May 9, 1909), was an American author of Southern literature and a supporter of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Her books were banned by the American Library Association in 1881. She was the first woman to earn US$100,000 through her writing.^[1]

Wilson was a native of Columbus, Georgia. Her first book, Inez, a Tale of the Alamo, was written when she was still young and published by Harpers. Her second book, Beulah, was issued in 1859 and became at once popular, still selling well when the American Civil War began. Cut off from the world of publishers, and intensely concerned for the cause of secession, she wrote nothing more until several years later when she published her third story, Macaria,^[2] dedicated to the soldiers of the Confederate Army. This book was burned by some protesters. After the war closed, Wilson travelled to New York with the copy of St. Elmo, which was published and met with great success. Her later works, Vashti; Infelice; and At the Mercy of Tiberius were also popular. In 1868, she married Lorenzo Madison Wilson, of Alabama, and they resided at Spring Hill.^[3][4]