Diary of Catherine Barbara Broun 1862-1885

Access and use

Location of collection:
Thomas Balch Library
Thomas Balch Library
208 West Market Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Alexandra S. Gressitt
Phone: (703) 737-7195
Fax: (703) 737-7195

Summary

Creator:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
Abstract:
The Diary of Catherine Barbara Broun collection consists of photocopied transcripts of the journal Broun kept during the Civil War era. In it she recounts such events as struggling to get a pass to travel through military lines in Washington, D.C., offering provisions to Confederate troops in the area, as well as noting the men killed or taken prisoner in local skirmishes. Despite the necessity of hosting Union cavalry and infantry units at her home, Broun was a Confederate sympathizer, describing Lee's surrender and the evacuation of Richmond as "heartbreaking." After the war, her diary focuses primarily on visits with neighbors and the purchase of household items.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Diary of Catherine Barbara Broun collection consists of photocopied transcripts of the journal Broun kept during the Civil War era. In it she recounts such events as struggling to get a pass to travel through military lines in Washington, D.C., offering provisions to Confederate troops in the area, as well as noting the men killed or taken prisoner in local skirmishes. Despite the necessity of hosting Union cavalry and infantry units at her home, Broun was a Confederate sympathizer, describing Lee's surrender and the evacuation of Richmond as "heartbreaking." After the war, her diary focuses primarily on visits with neighbors and the purchase of household items.

Biographical / historical:

Catherine Barbara Broun (1820-1903) lived at Sunny Bank Farm in Middleburg, Virginia, during and after the turbulent years of the Civil War. She kept a detailed diary during this period, noting the struggles of maintaining the farm despite consistent foraging by both Union and Confederate troops. Broun's eyewitness account describes troop movements in the area, as well as the dispersal of local Confederate units such as Mosby's Rangers at war's end. After the war, Broun continued to manage Sunny Bank Farm until her death. Today, Sunny Bank Farm is a popular location for the Middleburg Hunt.

Acquisition information:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Arrangement:

Folder