A Diary from Dixie As written by Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of James Chesnut, Jr., United States Senator from South Carolina, 1859-1861, and afterward an Aide to Jefferson Davis and a Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army

CHAPTER III.—CHARLESTON, S. C., _March 26, 1861-April 15, 1861_.

Chapter 351 wordsPublic domain

A soft-hearted slave-owner—Social gaiety in the midst of war talk—Beauregard a hero and a demigod—The first shot of the war—Anderson refuses to capitulate—The bombardment of Fort Sumter as seen from the house-tops—War steamers arrive in Charleston harbor—“Bull Run” Russell—Demeanor of the negroes 21