Diary of Emma LeConte

[Gene C]

This may be a bit of a rambling thread. I post it because it is an example of how looking for one thing leads to something unrelated yet totally fascinating.

I recently purchased a book about Lincoln written by Earl Schenck Miers. In looking up on Amazon what else he may have written, I found he has written many history books, several on the civil war. As you look through the list you will probably see some you are familiar with. He wrote books for teens as well as adults.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_s...evancerank

What caught my eye was the book he has edited about Emma LeConte's diary, "When The World Ended". She was a young lady of 17 and lived in Colombia, SC. She wrote about Sherman's march through SC and the burning of the city.

This is what she wrote about Lincoln's assassination....
"We are all in a tremor of excitement. At home it was the same. If it is only true! The first feeling I had when the news was announced was simply gratified revenge. The man we hated has met his proper fate. I thought with exultation of the howl it had by that time sent through the North, and how it would cast a damper on their rejoicings over the fall of our noble Lee. The next thought was how it would infuriate them against us - and that was pleasant too. After talking it over the hope presented itself that it might produce a confusion that would be favorable but there is scarcely any likelihood of that - he is hardly important enough for that. Andy Johnson will succeed him - the rail-splitter will be succeeded by the drunken ass. Such are the successors of Washington and Jefferson - such are to rule the South. "Sic semper tyrannis" - it has run in my head all day,"

Here is a site with some information about her with more exerts from her diary, and the article has a link to the diary itself.
http://civilwarwomenblog.com/emma-leconte/