Mary Boykin Chesnut

Date of Birth: March 31, 1823

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: November 22, 1886

Biography

Mary Boykin Chesnut was an American author and diarist, best known for her detailed and insightful diary documenting the American Civil War. Born into a prominent South Carolina family, she married James Chesnut, Jr., a wealthy plantation owner and U.S. Senator who later became a Confederate general. Her diary, which she began in 1861 and continued until 1865, provides a unique perspective on the Southern aristocracy’s life during the tumultuous period of the Civil War. It was later published as “A Diary from Dixie” and is considered one of the most important primary sources on the era. Mary Boykin Chesnut’s writings offer a vivid portrayal of the social, political, and economic conditions of the South, as well as her personal observations and reflections.

5 Interesting Facts about Mary Boykin Chesnut

1. Mary Boykin Chesnut’s diary was initially published in 1905, more than a decade after her death, and was edited by her friend Isabella D. Martin and Myrta Lockett Avary.

2. Chesnut’s detailed accounts provide significant insight into the daily lives and struggles of the Confederacy’s elite women during the Civil War.

3. Her husband, James Chesnut, Jr., was an aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

4. She was an advocate for the Southern cause but also expressed conflicting emotions about slavery and the Confederacy in her writings.

5. In 1981, her diary was republished in a more complete and scholarly edition titled “Mary Chesnut’s Civil War,” edited by C. Vann Woodward, which won the Pulitzer Prize for History.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Mary Boykin Chesnut

1. “There is no slave like a wife.”

2. “I hate slavery. I hate a man who will perpetuate slavery.”

3. “I was as frivolous as a butterfly in those days.”

4. “Our men have shown themselves heroes, and they deserve immortality.”

5. “I feel that we are on the eve of a great event.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Mary Boykin Chesnut’s highest net worth is not well-documented, but she was part of a wealthy and influential family in South Carolina. Her wealth was tied to her family’s plantation and her husband’s political and military career.