Myra Inman: A Diary of the Civil War in East Tennessee. (Books Reviews).

Myra Inman: A Diary of the Civil War in East Tennessee. Edited by William R. Snell. (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2000. Pp. xxviii, 395. $35.00, ISBN 0-86554-590-1.)

Myra Inman's diary records the Civil War experiences of a teenage woman in southeastern Tennessee. She began her journal in January 1859 at the age of thirteen and detailed the events in her hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee, until January 1866. Editor William R. Snell contends that the diary allows readers "to get to know her family, her friends, and her Cleveland ..." (p. xxviii).

The diary achieves this and presents a traditional look at the life of a young Confederate woman growing up during the Civil War. Inman spends much of the time recording everyday events, from what books she was reading to visits from friends and relatives. Once the war begins, she becomes occupied with female wartime activities. She presents gifts, flags, and food to passing troops, sews clothes for the soldiers, and visits the local hospital. Her family owns slaves, but Inman offers little commentary on the political, social, or economic aspects of the institution except to say that it is "so strange" to do her own housework after emancipation (p. 321). Adaptation to changes runs as a theme throughout the diary, especially as Union troops occupied the region. Inman's Confederate sympathies manifest themselves in her descriptions of Yankee "impudence" (p. 142) and "insulting" behavior (p. 230), as well as in her constant prayer that the "gallant Stars and Bars" (p. 246) would ultimately triumph.

William R. Snell succeeds in introducing readers to an "intelligent and mature" young woman (p. xviii), and his editing is unobtrusive. The introduction, epilogue, and appendixes provide helpful background material on the family and the town during the era. Within the diary itself Snell offers footnotes that explain political, military, personal, and geographical references; he also defines and clarifies cultural meanings of activities or phrases, which proves helpful in broadening the general reader's understanding of the era. In addition to several versions of the diary, Snell relies on Bradley County histories, census records, newspapers, and cemetery records for his information. He does not provide a bibliography, which would have been useful for scholars interested in how this woman's experience compares to other works from the divided Appalachian region.

Overall, the diary paints an interesting picture of a young woman's life during the Civil War in East Tennessee. Myra Inman's experiences adhere to the traditional interpretations of Confederate women's lives, and they offer readers a good local history of the Civil War. While the publication of a complete diary enhances scholarly investigations of the war, additional editorial research and analysis is needed for the diary to make a greater contribution to the larger body of literature. Consequently, its primary appeal exists as a work of local interest or as a springboard for more thorough scholarly investigation on the Appalachian region, divided loyalties in eastern Tennessee, and women during the Civil War.

KRISTEN L. STREATER
Collin County Community College