Connelly Library

From April 15, 1861, to September 4, 1861, Sarah Butler Wister, daughter of actress Fanny Kemble and Pierce Butler, kept a diary detailing the events of the Civil War and her reactions to those events. As a member of a prominent family and the wife of Dr. Owen Wister, Sarah had a wide social network and mingled with influential people. Throughout the diary, she writes about family members, many of whom were prominent government and military officials on both sides of the war. She also mentions her interactions with various acquaintances, who ranged from lawyers and professors to novelists and top military officials. 

Photograph of Sarah Butler Wister, Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Throughout the diary, Sarah was candid about her opinions of others. Often she was sympathetic. For example, when she received news that Fanny Longfellow, the wife of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, had died, Sarah wrote compassionately about the Longfellow family, expressing concern for the children and the state of their family after various losses.

Sarah was also sharp-tongued about those she disliked. Throughout the diary, she writes with contempt about many military officials. Sarah discusses how shameful it is that the lives of soldiers and officers were subject to the ignorance and incompetency of men who did not know how to lead. She believed that the wrong men were in charge, whether that was in the White House or at the local post office. However, she identifies a few military officials she considers to be effective leaders on account of their "youth" and "intelligence."

Drawing of Sarah Butler Wister, Historical Society of Pennsylvania

While the Civil War was being fought on the battlefields and at sea, it profoundly impacted those back home. The war engendered a new sense of patriotism for the Union, especially in Philadelphia. Sarah writes of numerous displays of national pride throughout the city. This newfound national pride resulted in the streets of Philadelphia being covered in American flags and red, white, and blue cloth. Such patriotism, Sarah suggested, led even those who sympathized with the South to fight for the Union. While women were not allowed to fight, their efforts to aid soldiers bolstered the war effort. Sarah makes note of this throughout the diary. She mentions numerous women, herself included, and their efforts to help soldiers. One such effort involved sewing uniforms for soldiers throughout the country. 

Sarah spends many pages describing current events and the news cycles and rumors that ensued. She made note of war events described in the newspapers that she considered contradictory, misleading, or rumors. For example, Sarah writes at length about the flaws in the coverage of the First Battle of Bull Run and subsequent truths revealed by the military. 

Despite mentioning that she was without patriotic zeal, Sarah frequently expresses her disdain for the Confederacy in her diary. She calls for the execution of members of the Confederacy and the razing of cities loyal to their cause. Sarah writes about the arrest and defection of government officials to the Confederacy and offers her scathing opinions of these men. Her contempt for the Confederacy did not blind her to the many strategic advantages the South had over the North, which she stated with grave concern.

Although Sarah expressed disdain for enslavers, she viewed her father Pierce Butler, an enslaver, with sympathy. Throughout the diary, she expresses concern for her father’s well-being and worries about his close connections to the Confederacy. Sarah's sister, Frances, was also in close contact with Confederate military officials and was an avowed Southern sympathizer. Both Pierce and Francis moved to Georgia at the end of the Civil War in hopes of rejuvenating the family's plantations. Despite this, Sarah never lost love for her family and hoped they would be reunited. 

To read a more in-depth analysis of Sarah Butler Wister's Civil War diary, please click here.