-
Acknowledgments
- University of Georgia Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Acknowledgments Forhisastuteadviceandongoingencouragementthroughall phasesofthisproject,IamindebtedtoRichardJordan.Itwas mygoodfortunetoconnectearlyonwithRuthAnnCoskiatthe MuseumoftheConfederacyinRichmond,whorespondedto numerousqueries,steeredmetoothersources,andcorrected errata.MydeepappreciationgoestoDirectorNicoleMitchell, Courtney Denney, John McLeod, Stacey Sharer, and everyone elseattheUniversityofGeorgiaPresswhoseexpertiseandenthusiasm havecontributedtotheproductionofthisbook. IthankBillMullerforhisinterestandcounsel;JamesRogers, JeanieThompson,IsabelSanders,DannyGamble,andRobyn Litchfield for timely suggestions; Dodgie Shaffer, Mary Ann Neeley,andAnneKingforteaandempathy(Anne’snoteson Beauvoir and the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library were morehelpfulthanmyown);TibbyElebashandherfriendAvery Bassichforinformationaboutnineteenth-centuryNewOrleans; MaryLynneLevyandthebookclubforkeepingmewellread; andeveryonewho,inthelastfewyears,hasaskedmeifI’mwriting anotherbook. Ihavetakenanovelist’sprerogativeinallowingmyimagina- tionandintuitiontoembellishwhatisacceptedasfactandlegend abouttheJeffersonDavisfamilyandtheirtimes.Dateshave notbeenaltered,withoneexception:Imovedthepublication ofGuydeMaupassant’sfirstnovel,UneVie,from1883to1881, sothatWinniecouldreaditduringhersummerinParis.Ina fewinstances,texthasbeenincorporatedfromthewritingsand correspondenceofthoseonwhomcharactersarebasedorwho arereferredtotangentiallyinthenarrative.Thesectionslabeled “Winnie’sNotebook”arenotbasedonactualjournalsordiaries; however,afictionalletterthereinwasinspiredbyanarchived WisconsinmemoirbyE.P.ArpinJr.,whichwassharedwithme byhisdaughter,HelenTill,andbroughttomyattentionbyTom Fitzpatrick. Thequotationthatbecamethisbook’sepigraph,whichIdidn’t comeacrossuntilthemanuscriptwasalmostfinished,eloquently echoesapremiseIbeganwith:thatWinnieDaviswasacomplex enigma,eventothoseclosesttoher.Itdidn’thappenrightaway, butatsomepointduringtheearlysessionsofwritingabouther, IbegantofeelasthoughIhadpassedmusterandbeengranted permission.Whentheserendipitoushunches(thatnovelistsreceive andhavetodecidewhetherornottogowith)increasedin frequency,Ievenwonderedifmyprotagonistmightalsobemy collaborator. Institutionalrepositoriesconsultedinclude:theHarvardUniversity Archives,PuseyLibrary,Cambridge,Massachusetts;the Ray M. Thompson Papers, McCain Library of the University of Southern Mississippi,Hattiesburg; the Robbins Papers and theMaryStampsPapersatWilsonLibrary,UniversityofNorth CarolinaatChapelHill;OlinLibrary,CornellUniversity,Ithaca, NewYork;theEleanorS.BrockenbroughLibrary,theMuseum 208 acknowledgments [44.197.113.64] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 09:02 GMT) oftheConfederacy,Richmond;theJeffersonDavisPapers,Rice University,Houston;theRosannaBlakeConfederateCollection, MarshallUniversity,Huntingdon,WestVirginia;MemorialHall ConfederateMuseum,NewOrleans;theAlabamaDepartment ofArchivesandHistory,Montgomery;theCenterforSoutheast Louisiana Studies, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond ;theWilliamsResearchCenter,theHistoricNewOrleans Collection; the Library of the Virginia Historical Association, Richmond;NancyBurris,Librarian,NewOrleansTimes-Picayune; RecordsoftheThirdRegimentGeorgiaVolunteersoftheArmy oftheConfederacy;theSouthernHistoricalAssociation,University ofGeorgia,Athens;theCasemateArchives,FortMonroe, Virginia;theBirminghamPublicLibrary;theMontgomeryPublic Library;theSyracusePublicLibrary;theOnondagaCounty HistoricalAssociation,Syracuse;theNewYorkStateHistorical Association,Cooperstown;theAmericanNewspaperRepository, Rollinsford,NewHampshire;andtheSinclairManuscripts,Lilly Library,IndianaUniversity,Bloomington. acknowledgments 209 This page intentionally left blank ...