Cordelia (Cordie) Meanley’s diary consists of two bound books. The smaller one consists of 184 pages, covering the period from August 1862 to November 1863 (Book 1). The larger one has about 220 pages, running from November 1863 to November 1871 (Book 2).

In both books, there are some gaps between dates, despite Cordie Meanley’s declared intent on the first page “to keep a diary of my life.” Some pages reflect subsequent revisions or deletions.

Generally, her diary (written in a neat, legible hand, but with different inks) reflects the concerns of a young, single woman of the South living in a time of war and its aftermath. She often begins her diary entry with a comment about “the weather,” but then moves to that day’s particular concern(s): a pleasant visit with family or friends; an inability to see family or friends (or even to get news of them); the day’s good war news or bad war news (including the deaths of persons she knew); and - for a mid-19th century, single woman - matters of the heart.

As the war continues, her diary increasingly reflects the changing nature of warfare and the suffering experienced in her part of Virginia. She mourns the death of men like Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart. She struggles continually with the call of her Christian faith (“to love one another”) and her antipathy of Yankee soldiers.