Review

Myra Inman began her diary in January 1859 and kept it until January 1866. As a thirteen-year-old girl in southeast Tennessee, her literary endeavor would lead to a more serious subject than mere recordings of the weather and the occasional visitor. While the tension between the South and the North was growing, Myra had only thoughts of her day to day life. But as the possibility of war grew and finally fell upon her and her family and their town of Cleveland, Tennessee, she became an astute observer of the war. In short, Myra Inman, a member of a prominent but not wealthy family, came of age in the greatest conflict America had yet seen.

In her diary Myra records encounters with soldiers in both blue and gray. As time progresses she discloses her true feelings are with the South – how could they be anywhere else. And yet, Southeast Tennessee was a hybrid of support for both sides of the conflict. As the war develops, the diary becomes an arena for issues that most teenage girls had little to say about: Lee, Lincoln, Jackson, Grant, and the politics of war. Although this diary depicts Myra’s coming of age, it is also a wonderful window through which we can view the home-front in East Tennessee during the Civil War. Myra records her work at crafts, shopping, cooking, and entertainment. More than these, however, she was a dedicated Christian and went to church services at many different churches as it was her chief form of social activity.

Yet another activity that stands out in this telling diary is Myra’s literary life. She belonged to a reading circle that read widely from Josephus to contemporary Civil War novels. Myra Inman was the member of a family that also owned slaves. While that peculiar institution was being debated around the country on battlefields and in political arenas the Inmans’ slaves were well-respected in Cleveland. There is no discussion of the rights and wrongs of slavery; it is merely accepted (see Appendix 1 about Ned and Phoebe).

“We, the readers who cherish history, owe this young Clevelander a debt of gratitude. Her dedication to her writing allowed us to get to know her family, her friends, and her Cleveland as we experience the daily events with her. More importantly, the reader is able to follow Myra’s maturing process. She was a teenager when she began the diary with thoughts of algebra and gentleman callers. Before the diary closed she was coping with hardships and the death of friends and family members. The Civil War affected the community, county, and all she held dear. War takes a toll, and the division in Bradley County caused immeasurable pain for Myra Inman.”

Mercer University Press, Hardcover, 395 Pages, 2000

This is a brand new book. It is not a “hurt” copy or a “closeout/remainder.” The dust jacket is enclosed in a mylar cover to help prevent excessive wear.