Born March 31, 1823
Statesburg, South Carolina
Died November 22, 1886
Camden, South Carolina

Civil War diarist

"I have nothing to chronicle but disasters. . . .The reality is hideous."

Mary Boykin Chesnut. (Reproduced by permission of The Granger Collection, New York.)

Thousands of Americans recorded their thoughts and experiences during the Civil War period in diaries and journals. Since that time, many of these diaries have been studied by historians, and some of them have been published in book form. The most famous diary of the Civil War was written by Mary Boykin Chesnut. Chesnut was a well-educated woman from a wealthy and influential Southern family. She married James Chesnut Jr., who became a U.S. senator from South Carolina shortly before the start of the Civil War. Thanks to her political connections and her skills as an observer and writer, Chesnut was able to provide an inside view...