Mary Boykin Chesnut, died November 22, 1886

Mary Boykin Chesnut began her diary on February 18, 1861, and ended it on June 26, 1865. In Charleston, she was among witnesses of the first shots of the Civil War.  During the war, they lived for a time in Columbia, South Carolina, where her husband served as the Chief of the Department of the Military of South Carolina and brigadier general in command of South Carolina reserve forces; and in Richmond, where her husband served as an aide to the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. At times they also lived with her husband's parents at their house on Mulberry Plantation.  

Like many of the planter elite, the Chesnuts fell onto hard times after the war. They lost 1,000 slaves as property through emancipation. 

John Chesnut, Jr., later in his life

James Chesnut, Sr. died in 1866; his will left his son, James, Jr., the use of Mulberry Plantation and Sandy Field, both of which were encumbered by debt, and eighty-three "slaves" by name, who were by then freed. The Chesnuts struggled to build up the plantations and support his father's dependents.

Mary Chesnut edited her diary and wrote new drafts in 1881-1884, intended for publication. Because she had no children, before her death she gave her diary to her closest friend, Isabella D. Martin, and urged her to have it published.

By his father's will, James Chesnut, Jr. had the use of Mulberry and Sandy Field plantations only during his lifetime. In February 1885, both he and Mary's mother died. The plantations passed on to a male Chesnut descendant, and Mary Boykin Chesnut received almost no income for her support. She also found her husband had many debts related to the estate, which he had been unable to clear. 

She became dependent on a butter and egg business for her survival, which she ran with the assistance of Molly, her maid who was one of her former slaves.  Molly remained with her to the end of her life.

Molly

She struggled with illness and finances in her last year.  She died of a heart attack on November 22,1886 at her home, Sarsfield, in Camden, South Carolina. She was 63 years old.

Sarsfield, Camden, South Carolina

She was buried next to her husband in Knights Hill Cemetery in Camden, South Carolina.

Chesnut Graves

Mary Chesnut's diary was first published in 1905 as a heavily edited and abridged edition. The version by C. Vann Woodward retained more of her original work, provides an overview of her life and society in the "Introduction", and was annotated to identify fully the large cast of characters, places and events.

Mulberry Plantation was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000.