A review by twistinthetale
Mary Chesnut's Diary by Mary Boykin Chesnut

3.0

Mary Chestnut came from a prominent Southern family. She was in a unique position to record events, as she saw and heard them, leading up to and during the American Civil War. Her husband was a Southern States senator and became an aide to Jefferson Davis. Mary had the keen sense to know that what was unfolding was going to be of lasting and immense magnitude and she recorded the details in her diary. Mary was part of a large circle of friends and was privy to high level discussions regarding the war. Her diary reveals the complex views at the times and is an invaluable source detailing the relentless losses on the battlefield and in the hospitals. Her account of the lives and careers of her many friends and the untimely loss of so many of them over the span of four years becomes a tragic but lasting record of a terrible period in history.