Mary Boykin Chesnut
(1823–1886)

Mary Boykin Chesnut was the daughter of a United States senator from South Carolina, brought up in an aristocratic family in Charleston. When she was 17, Mary Boykin married James Chesnut, Jr., a wealthy lawyer, who was later elected to the Senate. The cruelty of the Civil War deeply disturbed her. Through Chestnut's journal we can share firsthand the joy and sorrow of the people of the South in victory and defeat.

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M
N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z