A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital

A young Southern clerk’s personal journal opens at the moment the nation cracks open, capturing the frantic rush from New Jersey to Virginia as the first guns fire at Fort Sumter. He recounts packing his family’s belongings, the uneasy optimism of his wife, and the painful decision to leave behind a treasure trove of letters from past leaders. The diary’s voice is intimate yet aware, noting the secret approval of the President and Secretary of War to record his observations for posterity.

As the train rolls through Baltimore and into Washington, the clerk meets a mix of fierce Unionists and quietly resigned Southerners, while a Northern newspaper publisher shockingly embraces the secessionist cause. His daily duties in the Confederate War Department unfold against this backdrop of divided loyalties, offering listeners a vivid glimpse of the bureaucratic heartbeat of a nation at war and the personal turmoil of those who chose to serve it.