Dr. Trezevant, attending Mr. Chesnut, who was ill, came and
found his patient gone; he could not stand the news of that last battle. He got
up and dressed, weak as he was, and went forth to hear what he could for
himself. The doctor was angry with me for permitting this, and more angry with
him for such folly. I made him listen to the distinction between feminine folly
and virulent vagaries and nonsense. He said: “He will certainly be salivated
after all that calomel out in this damp weather.”
To-day, the ladies in their landaus were bitterly attacked
by the morning paper for lolling back in their silks and satins, with tall
footmen in livery, driving up and down the streets while the poor soldiers'
wives were on the sidewalks. It is the old story of rich and poor! My little
barouche is not here, nor has James Chesnut any of his horses here, but then I
drive every day with Mrs. McCord and Mrs. Preston, either of whose turnouts
fills the bill. The Governor's carriage, horses, servants, etc., are splendid —
just what they should be. Why not?
SOURCE: Mary Boykin Chesnut, Edited by Isabella D. Martin
and Myrta Lockett Avary, A Diary From Dixie, p. 155
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