Sarah Morgan DawsonRecensioni

Sarah's daily diary makes for an interesting read. She covers many day to day activities and also the war as it came to her state.

I found this diary tedious and uneventful. My initial enthusiasm at reading a first hand account from the perspective of a young Confederate woman ended quickly as Ms. Morgan's work devolved into various accounts of personal relationships having little significance to the war itself. While one can appreciate the fact that she was displaced from her home by the coming war, I found it difficult to sympathize with her privileged background and complaints, e.g., of having to eat various vegetables given the lack of bountiful provisions. There are many fascinating Civil War diaries. This is not one of them.½

I believe that any American, when reading about the American Civil War, tends to try to put their own standing as to whether Unionist or Confederate aside and look at the historical aspect of the volume. I had difficulty doing that with this book because of the apparent authenticity of the trials and tribulations of the author. This book was originally published in 1923.

The introduction to this diary was compelling stating that "No Southerner at that time could possibly have had opinions so just or foresight so clear as those here attributed to a young girl."

Sarah's adventures may have seemed a bit trivial in some cases for those of our century (collecting clothes, hiding silver), but at her time and place, she was a strong young woman who made every effort to keep her family together during the conflicts that surrounded them.

I cannot fathom my days without Sarah in them after reading of her life for so long. Her trials, tribulations, and losses will stay with me always. She is an incredibly sharp witted young southern woman who writes magnificently. Her level of education and privilege is at once clearly understood from her writing.
This is not just some cheesy adolescent journal some girl wrote.

At times the book just goes on and on monotonously. Do not forget that the monotony you feel is the same she is expressing to you since that is what her life goes through during the war. It is like being transported in time to a place so long gone and forgotten....the Civil War and the late 1800's. It describes what life was like back then through her eyes and the divisions and sentiments of people on both sides of the divide. I was amazed at how so many families had sons fighting for both sides at once against each other.

It gives you a sense of how privileged we all are to not have experienced war on our soil in our lifetimes. I hope we never do.