As the wife of an aide to Jefferson Davis, Mary Chestnut was a prominent hostess and popular guest in the highest circles of Confederate society. Her Civil War diary, a primary source for the celebrated Ken Burns documentary, offers a compelling firsthand account of Southern life from 1860 65. Includes photos and engravings from the original edition. "A great epic drama of our greatest national tragedy." - William Styron. AUTHOR: Born into Southern aristocracy, Mary Chestnut (1823 86) married a rising star of the political scene who ultimately served as an aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Chestnut's social prominence assured her of an insider's perspective on many of the war's major events, which she recorded in vivid journal entries. Published 19 years after her death, an annotated edition of her diary won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1982.