RALEIGH, N.C. (December 3, 2014) ? Mary Boykin Chesnut would have been the most popular blogger of the Civil War had there been a Web in her world. Instead her revealing diaries became an enduring literary work. Now her take on America’s defining war is served to those who thrive on social media’s digital diet.
As the 150th anniversary commemoration enters its final months, Visit North Carolina and the state Department of Cultural Resources channel the astute observations and wry humor of Chesnut’s “A Diary From Dixie” into The Mary Chesnut Project, which time travels from the 19th century to engage modern generations. Anchored by a blog on Tumblr and broadcast on Twitter, The Mary Chesnut Project illuminates life during wartime with images and words that connect historical characters to current sites, tours and re-enactments through the thread of social media.
“The Civil War ended in North Carolina,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. “We wanted to underscore this overlooked fact and also use diaries and correspondence to tell the authentic stories of the final campaigns of the war. Social media allows us to tell those stories as they unfolded in real time and connect them to places and events from the mountains to the coast.”
Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of Brig. Gen. James Chesnut Jr., was a prominent South Carolinian who spent time in Flat Rock and Lincolnton, N.C., during the war. In “A Diary From Dixie,” first published in 1905 by D. Appleton & Company, Chesnut’s comments are grounded in the couple’s relationship to key Confederate figures ? including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. The Mary Chesnut Project presents views about everything from battles and politics to the devalued Confederate dollar.
“The Mary Chesnut Project remains true to historical records,” said Dr. Kevin Cherry, deputy secretary of DCR. “For example, a fictional Meetup notice mirrors a military leak that occurred in late 1864. Those who are intrigued by the imaginative use of social media will be drawn to hyperlinks that lead to detailed accounts of the history.”
The Mary Chesnut Project begins in December 1864, when Union forces set their sights on Fort Fisher, the last major port open to the blockade runners who supply Robert E. Lee’s army. The military story advances to Bentonville, the last time a Confederate army is able to mount a tactical offensive; Western North Carolina, where Gen. George Stoneman leads a destructive cavalry raid; and finally Bennett Place in Durham, where the war’s largest surrender takes place in April 1865.
“Civil War tourism is so important to North Carolina,” said Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz. “It means jobs and economic development across our state. Utilizing social media to discuss stories that are 150 years old draws in a younger crowd who may be hearing these stories for the very first time. We hope it inspires them to visit our historic sites and battlefields.”
The military story frames The Mary Chesnut Project and also inspires large-scale commemorative events, such as re-enactments at Fort Fisher and Bentonville, Tuttell said. But thanks to Mary Chesnut, other compelling stories resonate and show why the war should be remembered.