A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

“In the meantime we seem to be resting on our oars, debating in Congress, while the enterprising Yankees are quadrupling their army at their leisure.”—Mary Chesnut’s diary.

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August 5th.–A heavy, heavy heart. Another missive from Jordan, querulous and fault-finding; things are all wrong–Beauregard’s Jordan had been crossed, not the stream “in Canaan’s fair and happy land, where our possessions lie.” They seem to feel that the war is over here, except the President and Mr. Barnwell; above all that foreboding friend of [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary: “One would think there were Yankees enough and to spare for any killing to be done.”

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August 2d.–Prince Jerome ¹ has gone to Washington. Now the Yankees so far are as little trained as we are; raw troops are they as yet. Suppose France takes the other side and we have to meet disciplined and armed men, soldiers who understand war, Frenchmen, with all the élan we boast of. Ransom Calhoun, [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s diary: “We stopped to plunder that rich convoy, and somehow, for a day or so, everybody thought the war was over and stopped to rejoice: so it appeared here.”

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August 1st.–Mrs. Wigfall, with the “Lone Star” flag in her carriage, called for me. We drove to the fair grounds. Mrs. Davis’s landau, with her spanking bays, rolled along in front of us. The fair grounds are as covered with tents, soldiers, etc., as ever. As one regiment moves off to the army, a fresh [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

A Diary From Dixie

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July 27th.–Mrs. Davis’s drawing-room last night was brilliant, and she was in great force. Outside a mob called for the President. He did speak–an old war-horse, who scents the battle-fields from afar. His enthusiasm was contagious. They called for Colonel Chesnut, and he gave them a capital speech, too. As public speakers say sometimes, “It [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

A Diary From Dixie.

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July 26th.–Isabella went with me to the bulletin-board. Mrs. D. (with the white linen as usual pasted on her chin) asked me to read aloud what was there written. As I slowly read on, I heard a suppressed giggle from Isabella. I know her way of laughing at everything, and tried to enunciate more distinctly–to [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary.—”A great battle has been fought. Joe Johnston led the right wing, and Beauregard the left wing of the army. Your husband is all right.”

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July 22d.–Mrs. Davis came in so softly that I did not know she was here until she leaned over me and said: “A great battle has been fought. ¹ Joe Johnston led the right wing, and Beauregard the left wing of the army. Your husband is all right. Wade Hampton is wounded. Colonel Johnston of [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary: “I was in hopes there would be no battle until Mr. Chesnut was forced to give up his amateur aideship to come and attend to his regular duties in the Congress.”

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July 19th.–Beauregard telegraphed yesterday (they say, to General Johnston), “Come down and help us, or we shall be crushed by numbers.” The President telegraphed General Johnston to move down to Beauregard’s aid. At Bull Run, Bonham’s Brigade, Ewell’s, and Longstreet’s encountered the foe and repulsed him. Six hundred prisoners have been sent here. I arose, [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s diary.—”As far as I can make out, Beauregard sent Mr. Chesnut to the President to gain permission for the forces of Joe Johnston and Beauregard to join, and, united, to push the enemy, if possible, over the Potomac…”

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July 16th.–Dined to-day at the President’s table. Joe Davis, the nephew, asked me if I liked white port wine. I said I did not know; “all that I had ever known had been dark red.” So he poured me out a glass. I drank it, and it nearly burned up my mouth and throat. It [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary.—”I did not care a fig for a description of the war council.”

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July 14th.–Mr. Chesnut remained closeted with the President and General Lee all the afternoon. The news does not seem pleasant. At least, he is not inclined to tell me any of it. He satisfied himself with telling me how sensible and soldierly this handsome General Lee is. General Lee’s military sagacity was also his theme. [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

“Yesterday, as we left the cars, we had a glimpse of war. It was the saddest sight: the memory of it is hard to shake off—sick soldiers, not wounded ones.”— Mary Chesnut’s Diary.”

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RICHMOND, Va., July 13, 1861.–Now we feel safe and comfortable. We can not be flanked. Mr. Preston met us at Warrenton. Mr. Chesnut doubtless had too many spies to receive from Washington, galloping in with the exact numbers of the enemy done up in their back hair. Wade Hampton is here; Doctor Nott also–Nott and [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary.—”Mary Hammy saw lights glancing about among the trees, and we all heard guns. So we sat up. “

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July 11th.–We did hear cannon to-day. The woman who slandered Mrs. Davis’s republican court, of which we are honorable members, by saying they–well, were not young; that they wore gaudy colors, and dressed badly–I took an inventory to-day as to her charms. She is darkly, deeply, beautifully freckled; she wears a wig which is kept [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary.—”Brewster came back with a paper from Washington with terrific threats of what they will do to us.”

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July 9th.–Our battle summer. May it be our first and our last, so called. After all we have not had any of the horrors of war. Could there have been a gayer, or pleasanter, life than we led in Charleston. And Montgomery, how exciting it all was there! So many clever men and women congregated [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s diary—”If our husbands are taken prisoners, what will they do with them? Are they soldiers or traitors?”

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July 7th.–This water is making us young again. How these men enjoy the baths. They say Beauregard can stop the way with sixty thousand; that many are coming. An antique female, with every hair curled and frizzed, said to be a Yankee spy, sits opposite us. Brewster solemnly wondered “with eternity and the judgment to [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s diary.—”Rev. Robert Barnwell was with us. He means to organize a hospital for sick and wounded.”

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FAUQUIER WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Va., July 6, 1861.–Mr. Brewster came here with us. The cars were jammed with soldiers to the muzzle. They were very polite and considerate, and we had an agreeable journey, in spite of heat, dust, and crowd. Rev. Robert Barnwell was with us. He means to organize a hospital for sick [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary; Her husband writes: ““We are very strongly posted, entrenched, and have now at our command about 15,000 of the best troops in the world….”

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July 4th.–Russell abuses us in his letters. People here care a great deal for what Russell says, because he represents the London Times, and the Times reflects the sentiment of the English people. How we do cling to the idea of an alliance with England or France! Without France even Washington could not have done [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

“The President caught something of what I was saying, and asked me to repeat it, which I did, although I was scared to death.” Mary Chesnut’s Diary

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June 29th.–Mrs. Preston, Mrs. Wigfall, Mary Hammy and I drove in a fine open carriage to see the Champ de Mars. It was a grand tableau out there. Mr. Davis rode a beautiful gray horse, the Arab Edwin de Leon brought him from Egypt. His worst enemy will allow that he is a consummate rider, [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnust’s Diary: “Soldiers everywhere. They seem to be in the air, and certainly to fill all space. “

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RICHMOND, Va., June 27, 1861.–-Mr. Meynardie was perfect in the part of traveling companion. He had his pleasures, too. The most pious and eloquent of parsons is human, and he enjoyed the converse of the “eminent persons” who turned up on every hand and gave their views freely on all matters of state. Mr. Lawrence [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary: “Yesterday some of the negro men on the plantation were found with pistols.”

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June 24th.–Last night I was awakened by loud talking and candles flashing, tramping of feet, growls dying away in the distance, loud calls from point to point in the yard. Up I started, my heart in my mouth. Some dreadful thing had happened, a battle, a death, a horrible accident. Some one was screaming aloft–that [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Mary Chesnut’s Diary: “Mr. Chesnut is accused of firing the first shot, and his cousin, an ex-West Pointer, writes in a martial fury.”

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June 19th.–In England Mr. Gregory and Mr. Lyndsey rise to say a good word for us. Heaven reward them; shower down its choicest blessings on their devoted heads, as the fiction folks say. Barnwell Heyward telegraphed me to meet him at Kingsville, but I was at Cool Spring, Johnny’s plantation, and all my clothes were [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

“The war is making us all tenderly sentimental. No casualties yet, no real mourning, nobody hurt. So it is all parade, fife, and fine feathers.”— Mary Chesnut’s diary.

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June 12th.–Have been looking at Mrs. O’Dowd as she burnished the “Meejor’s arrms” before Waterloo. And I have been busy, too. My husband has gone to join Beauregard, somewhere beyond Richmond. I feel blue-black with melancholy. But I hope to be in Richmond before long myself. That is some comfort. The war is making us [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

“I had never heard of Davin in my life until I heard he was to be hanged.”—Mary Chesnut’s Diary

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June 6th.–Davin! Have had a talk concerning him to-day with two opposite extremes of people. Mrs. Chesnut, my mother-in-law, praises everybody, good and bad. “Judge not,” she says. She is a philosopher; she would not give herself the pain to find fault. The Judge abuses everybody, and he does it so well– short, sharp, and [...]

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.