Mary Chesnut's Civil War Author:Edited by C. Vann Woodward "The Civil War diary of Mary Chesnut has long been prized as a source for historians and ,for the general reader, as an intimate view of actors and actions of great consequence and a human picture--tender, outraged, comic--of the inner stage-wings of a great war. More, it is a varied exhibit of familiar style, the projection of a remarkable, wit... more »ty, flashing, and deep personality. Now scrupulously edited by Vann Woodward, with a number of additional sections long presumed lost, copiously and usefully annotated, with an elaborate introduction worthy of the editor's fame, its value is greatly enhanced. This is not only for the historian or the person with a taste for history, but for anyone who might be interested in the human story, the quality of Mary Chesnut's mind and heart, her wit and wisdom, her political acumen, her gift as portrait painter and psychologist in presenting people both great and small. There is nothing quite like this book."