Mary Boykin Chesnut
Subtitle: a Confederate woman's life
By: Mary A. DeCredico.
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: American profiles; American profiles (Madison, Wis.)
Publisher: Madison House
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Madison, Wis
Language: eng
Number of pages: 176
Subjects: Chesnut, Mary Boykin Miller, 1823-1886; South Carolina -- Biography; Confederate States of America -- Biography
Description: Born into the plantation gentry of South Carolina, granted the advantages of wealth, social position, and education by virtue of her family and her marriage to another prominent South Carolina family, Mary Chesnut has emerged as one of the key figures in American history, but not because of a career, her family, or her involvement in a humanitarian cause. Rather, Chesnut's significance comes from her extensive diary.

Her commentary and reminiscences about the era provide an excellent window into the life and death of the Confederate nation. Her keen insight into political, economic, and social developments makes her an excellent source to understand the Southern homefront during the American Civil War.

. Professor Mary DeCredico uses Chesnut's life to address the role of women in the South; the ideology and leadership of the Southern white elite; and how Southern women in general, and Chesnut in particular, viewed the institution of slavery. Furthermore, DeCredico shows how Mary Chesnut's privileged position gave her an ideal perspective for observing and commenting on the events of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p.163-167) and index.