As a sixteen year old girl witnessing the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 Delia Maria Rorer took pen to paper and began recording her thoughts and insights on the world around her. The diaries span a lifetime, recording the events in the lives of those around her for 28 years. As the daughter of a locally prominent attorney, Delia's experiences lend an insight into a world that few remember today. The first of a four volume series this book contains diary entries from July 1861 until August of 1866, with each new chapter representing a new diary from Delia's life.