A Diary from Dixie: A Journal of the Confederacy, 1860-1865

As a prominent hostess and popular guest in the highest circles of Confederate society, Mary Chesnut possessed an insider's perspective on many of the Civil War's major events, which she recorded in vivid journal entries. Her diary recounts the social life that struggled to continue in the midst of war, the grim economic conditions that resulted from blockaded ports as well as how people's spirits rose and fell with each victory and defeat. A Diary from Dixie is considered by many to be the most important work produced by a Confederate author. It spans the entirety of the war, allowing readers to witness battles both small and large; political, military, and domestic life; and the dynamic conflicts that ensued between race, class, and democracy.