Diary of a Southern Refugee during the War, by a Lady of Virginia

by Judith W. McGuire, Jean V. Berlin (Introduction)

"War seems inevitable," wrote Judith W. McGuire in her diary on 10 May 1861, shortly after the firing on Fort Sumter. Fervently loyal to the South, she was packing up valuables at her home in Alexandria, Virginia, where the Confederate flag already waved. With her family she fled the city, and for the next four years she would be a refugee in her own land.

 

Literate and newsy, shrewdly detailed and extremely moving, Diary of a Southern Refugee during the War is one of the best civilian records of the Civil War. Judith McGuire, the wife of an Episcopal minister, follows the newspapers assiduously, taking heart from good reports out of Bull Run and Shiloh and fighting despair when the tide turns against the Rebels. She sews for the soldiers, nurses them in hospitals, and notes the deaths of friends in "Thus we bury, one by one, the dearest, the brightest." Steeling herself, she sees humor in desperate situations.

 

McGuire shares common hardships, struggling to obtain food and lodging, but her position permits a glimpse of wartime Richmond society and meetings with General and Mrs. Robert E. Lee. Always up and doing, scorning slackers and defeatists, she confides to her diary on a dark day, "I wish I could sleep until the war is over."

Genres: History, American History, American Civil War, Nonfiction, Memoir, War, Civil War

355 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2012

About the author

Judith White McGuire

Reviews

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️Published in 1868.
🖊 My review: This is a captivating diary written by a middle-aged Southern woman, which is interesting in itself since most Southern diaries during the American Civil War were written by young women and teenaged girls. This diary was intented for AUTHOR’s decendents’ eyes only; I am thrilled to have found copies to read, since I am a historian with a curious bent. 🖋 The writing style is decidedly nineteenth century style, which is charming. 📌 Would I read this again? Yes, for my curiosity and research.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🟣 Media form: Kindle version.
🔵 Media form: Internet Archive .
📚 Media form: Tufts University .
🔲 Excerpts :

🔸AT HOME, May 4, 1861. — I am too nervous, too wretched to-day to write in my diary, but that the employment will while away a few moments of this trying time. Our friends and neighbors have left us. Everything is broken up. The Theological Seminary is closed; the High School dismissed. Scarcely any one is left of the many families which surrounded us. The homes all look desolate; and yet this beautiful country is looking more peaceful, lovelier than ever, as if to rebuke the tumult of passion and the fanaticism of man.

🔸Some of our old men are a little nervous, look doubtful, and talk of the impotency of the South. Oh, I feel utter scorn for such remarks.

🔸It makes my blood boil when I remember that our private rooms, our chambers, our very sanctums, are thrown open to a ruthless soldiery.

🔸The Briars, June 12.—We are now in the beautiful Valley of Virginia, having left Chantilly on the 8th. The ride through the Piedmont country was delightful; it looked so peaceful and calm that we almost forgot the din of war we had left behind us. The road through Loudoun and Fauquier was picturesque and beautiful. We passed through the villages of Aldie, Middleburg, and Tipperville. At Middleburg we stopped for an hour, and regaled ourselves on strawberries and cream at the house of our excellent brother, the Rev. Mr. K. At Tipperville we spent the night.

🔸While in Winchester, I heard of the death of one who has been for many years as a sister to me—Mrs. L. A. P., of S. H., Hanover County. My heart is sorely stricken by it, particularly when I think of her only child, and the many who seemed dependent on her for happiness. She died on Saturday last. With perfect resignation to the will of God, she yielded up her redeemed spirit, without a doubt of its acceptance. There is none for us here.

✿●▬●✿●✿●▬●✿

[Deborah H. Arrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional diary by a Confederate Lady

This is a highly readable first person account by a well educated, upper class woman in Virginia during the Civil War. The diarist's account of the fall of Richmond is riveting. And her careful references to slaves ("servants") demonstrate an incredible willingness and ability to put lipstick on a pig. But the writer deserves both respect and compassion. I'm very glad I read the diary and will most likely re-visit parts of it.

[Sharon Carver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lady telling it like it was.

This journal is a work of the heart telling the true thoughts and beliefs of the changing world around her during the civil war. A woman's heart is first for her family and then her beliefs. The author struggles with the world as it changes around her.

[AJA]

Books like this are 100% why I like history and are so important. However the nature of the book in diary format requires a lot of knowledge of the times including numerous random towns and people. The editor helpfully annotates this but in footnotes which was extremely difficult to use in an e-book format.

Note to self to try again at some point with a physical copy.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written! Highly recommended to anyone interested in knowing what Southerners went through and how they felt during the invasion and destruction thrust upon them during the War of Northern Aggression.

[Karen G Clesen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of Civil War diaries

This author used initials for people's names, including her own husband's! I just couldn't understand who's who with the initials! I found it rather boring.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best diaries I've read. It was slow at times, but it was an excellent look at what the average woman at the time went through.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with any diary, the reader has to remember the period of history the diary represents. As with most Civil War Diaries by women, it was the wealthier women who had the time, education and resources to write personal accounts and that is very true of Judith McGuire's diary. It is an excellent look at the Southern, female viewpoint during the Civil War but not quite as detailed as Mary Chestnut's or Sarah Morgan's diaries.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting perspective of the Civil War viewed through the diary of an upper class woman. I did have to keep reminding myself to put the viewpoint she writes through in the context of the 1860's. Although, I think it goes along way toward explaining some of the troubling viewpoints coming from the South in this era of political turmoil.