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William Gilmore Simms (April 17, 1806 - June 11, 1870) was a poet, novelist and historian from the American South. His writings achieved great prominence during the 19th century, with Edgar Allan Poe pronouncing him the best novelist America had ever produced. He is still known among literary scholars as a major force in antebellum Southern literature. He is also remembered for his strong support of slavery and for his opposition to Uncle Tom's Cabin, in response to which he wrote reviews and a novel.Former head of the South Carolina Historical Society, the Southern Historical Collection, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, David Moltke-Hansen served as the founding director of the digital William Gilmore Simms Initiatives of the University of South Carolina, USA.