Emilie Davis's Civil War: The Diaries of a Free Black Woman in Philadelphia, 1863–1865

Undertaken by editor Giesberg (history, Villanova Univ., PA, Army at Home: Women and the Civil War on the Northern Home Front) and a coterie of her graduate students as an ongoing seminar project, the transcription and skillful annotation of the diaries of Emilie Davis (dates unknown) constitute a unique addition to Civil War and African American historiography. The three pocket-sized volumes penned by Davis—a Philadelphian, a free black woman, and an attendee of the city's Institute for Colored Youth—that are archived at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania cover the periods between January 1863 and December 1865. Entries run the gamut from observations on major battles to pedestrian events in everyday life. A seamstress, Davis reported on her trade, social calls and obligations, neighbors, courtships and marriages, religious commitments, Philadelphia's celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, General Lee's invasion of southern Pennsylvania, local anxiety during the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and the city's mourning of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, among other topics. The editor's inclusion of a "List of People and Institutions Mentioned in the Diaries" and "A Note on Method" are invaluable guides to the material (see also davisdiaries.villanova.edu).