Mary Chesnut's Civil War

Mary Chesnut's Civil War, edited by C. Van Woodward

I doubt anyone ever expected a diary, no matter how old or about what time period, would ever win the Pulitzer Prize, least of all old man Pulitzer himself.  But in 1982 that's exactly what happened when C. Van Woodward published his exemplary work of Mrs. Chesnut's American Civil War collection.

Mary had kept a diary much of her life but as a resident of Charleston, South Carolina, she knew what she wrote might have important meaning as she saw her country driven apart in 1861 and she spent the next four years documenting her personal life midst the triumphs and agonies of some of her and husband General James Chesnut's best friends. Personages such as Confederate President Jefferson Davis and wife Varina, Texas General John 'Sam' Bell Hood, Mrs. Robert E. Lee, and more.

Her depictions of plantation life at 'Mulberry Hill' (still standing), the attack on Fort Sumter, the increasing deaths and maimings of friends and acquaintances in battle, Richmond at the several times her husband was posted their and the final days near Appomattox Courthouse, crystallize these scenes for any historian or Civil War passerby.

Woodward's careful and detailed notes fill in gaps the diary leaves out since Mary is only writing for herself, and assuming she will know surrounding details and people's full names or connections to history when she next opens her pages.  It is his ardent effort which earns him his Pulitzer Prize.

But it is Mary Chesnut's own words which have earned many lines from her diary places in such prestigious video documentary's as Ken Burn's Civil War, and quotes in almost every historical work on the Eastern Theater of the war written since 1982.

Finally, I must highly recommend this book because it's fine writing kept me going back to it time and again till all of it's over 800 pages were consumed.  I especially enjoyed reading it in sync with Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With The Wind'.  I found that while Mitchell never credits reading Chesnut's work as having influence on her book, each enlightened the other as I read.

I give this Pulitzer Prize 4 stars for historical and general interest, and the occasional humor I think is critical to keep someone reading on through any historical work.  ****
-Ken