1861

From Emma Holmes diary: 

Two young men, members of the W.[ashington] L.[ight] I.[nfantry, Horsey & Walker, have been lately shot for insubordination. The former wrote and published a very mutinous and very improper letter in regard to the alleged treatment of the officers of the [Hampton] Legion. Col. Hampton ordered him arrested & he drew a pistol on him. 

1863

From Emma Holmes diary: 

I walked this afternoon amidst whole streets in ruin to visit our old home; found some soldiers encamped on the spot, so did not go quite to it. But sat for some time on the foundation of Mr. Bull’s iron fencing sadly recalling the memories of the past … The pillars and tall iron steps of Mr. Bulls’s porch still remained, with vines climbing here & there, bringing vividly to mind our pleasant tableaux & oyster parties & the many many changes in the merry girls and youths there and them assembled.

Emma Holmes

Emma Holmes was born in 1838 in Charleston, South Carolina, to a plantation owner. During the Civil War, from February 1861 until March 1866, Emma kept a diary of her life in Charleston, the affairs of her family and history as she observed it. A true Confederate, like many others, she believed the war would be over within a few months.

Four of Emma’s five brothers served in the Confederate Army. Her oldest brother Henry was a doctor. Fortunately, all of her brothers survived, although many of her friends and relatives did not.