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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
January 1865
"... And she picked up her last parcel—and as I followed her and stood at the gate, I cried:
'Stonewall—and Albert Sydney Johnston—death guards their fame. Thank God. They are safe in their graves.'"
