32c Mary Chesnut stamp

Mary Chestnut (1823-1913) was a South Carolina resident who kept a diary throughout the Civil War. Her diary provides particularly interesting information due to the fact that her husband, James Chestnut, was a United States senator for South Carolina until the state seceded from the Union in 1860. Chestnut was also close friends with Jefferson Davis and his wife, Varina. Now known as Mary Chestnut’s Civil War, her diary provides insight into the influences of the Civil War on daily life.

The stamp was designed by Mark Hess for the American Civil War Issue. It contains an illustration of Mary Chestnut writing in her diary at a desk.

Scott Catalogue USA: 2975o
mint

Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

Museum ID: 1996.2081.197.15