Born to a family of social standing in antebellum Tidewater Virginia, the Bernard sisters of "Gay Mont" plantation carried all the marks of privilege and high breeding. Their lives uprooted as war approached and turned their homes into battlegrounds, the sisters found strength together to face the many privations and challenges of the four-year conflict.
Such notable military greats as General J.E.B. Stuart, Colonel W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee and Major John "The Gallant" Pelham were frequent guests of the Bernard sisters at the beautiful Bernard home located on the Rappahannock river south of Fredericksburg.
These never before published diaries and letters dramatically illustrate the struggles women faced in war-ravaged Virginia.
