Mary Boykin Chesnut is one of the most important voices of the American Civil War with her unique perspective from inside Confederate halls of power. Her husband James Chesnut, Jr, served in the South Carolina legislature, and in 1858 was elected to the U.S. Senate. He resigned from office after Lincoln's 1860 win, then returned south to help draft the ordinance of secession and attend the First Confederate Congress. He was a close aide to Jefferson Davis for much of the war as history unfolded.
Friday, October 2, 2015
5 December 1863, Richmond
"Spent seventy-five dollars today for a little tea and sugar. Have five hundred dollars left. J. C.'s pay has never paid for the rent of our lodgings since the war began."
