Mary Chesnut's Diary

“Mary Chestnut’s Diary” is a vivid first hand narrative of the Civil War. Mary Boykin Chestnut was married to James Chestnut, Jr., an important Confederate general. Written between 1861 and 1865, her diaries offer some of our most detailed and personal accounts of one of America’s most troubling and conflicted eras. The diary spans the entirety of the war, allowing readers to witness battles both small and large; political, military, and domestic life; and the dynamic conflicts that ensued between race, class, and democracy. Chestnut was one of the rare few who witnessed the first shots of the war, and her diary takes us through the hills and homes of the war—from Alabama to Virginia. We see the emotional energy created by such a conflict with an intimacy only to be read in a diary. Always aware of the historical significance of her surroundings, the journals read as great reporting. Chestnut’s entries skillfully capture a nation finding its voice amidst great turmoil. Essential reading for any Civil War buff or student of American history, “Mary Chestnut’s Diary” is an invaluable document of one of America’s greatest conflicts.