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A Confederate Girl's Diary (1913)

by Sarah Morgan Dawson(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

The Confederate Reprint Company

review 1: This book is reportedly a diary that was kept by Sarah Morgan Dawson, a young lady in Louisiana at the time of the Civil War, which was published by her son in the early 20th century. Dawson became a published author in her own right long before this diary came to light, and she did have a flair for dramatic storytelling. There has been speculation that this diary was written as events unfolded, or if it was written after the fact. Regardless of the time of writing and the exact veracity of the history, this is an interesting perspective from the Confederate side of the Civil War. Everyday activities, the communication of various rumors and news, and the feelings of members of families that were torn between the Confederate States and the Union were thought-provoking. I ca... moren understand the accusation that this diary was written many years after the end of the war, and only passed off as being contemporary with the war. A good number of very famous moments were accounted for, especially toward the end; I would have like to know what else in life Sarah Morgan Dawson was occupied with that would change her almost daily writing into a quarterly account. I was surprised at the apparent nonchalance with which the members of the army seemed to wander about the countryside calling on various acquaintances - either the army was very lax about leave accounting, or the feeling of embellishment may be more truthful than the publisher would like to admit. Frankly, I have to say that most of my dislike of this diary stems from the fact that a huge amount of it is dedicated to social protocol. I understand that it was an important part of life then, that it was how news traveled and help was gained for survival. Having said that, I simply don't enjoy reading about who visited whom with what gossip, regardless of the time period. Recommended for: history buffs, civil war aficionados, and possibly soap opera lovers.
review 2: This is a dairy that was saved from the Civil War. It contains the daily life of a family whose one son is loyal to the north and the others are fighting for the south. In the dairy Sarah describes their running, hearing the cannons and guns near by, taking with them in their running bags their papers and few needs. The diary is very educational as to the life of the everyday person in the south. It tells how they intermingled with the soldiers and obtained passes to travel about, what they ate and wore. The books also tells of the slaves of the area. nook edition less

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