Cornelia Peake McDonald (June 14, 1822 – January 11, 1909) was an American diarist who was the author of ''A Diary with Reminiscences of the War and Refugee Life in the Shenandoah Valley, 1860-1865'' in which she recaps her life as a woman living in

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

. Her writing is significant as it recaps the views of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

from the point of a view of a woman living in one of the most frequently re-occupied towns of the conflict. She became known as one of the "Devil Diarists of Winchester." Peake was born in 1822 in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. She was the youngest of six children of Dr. Humphrey Peake and Annie Linton Lane. She married

Angus William McDonald Angus William McDonald (February 14, 1799 – December 1, 1864) was a 19th-century American military officer and lawyer in the U.S. state of Virginia. He also served as a colonel in command of the Confederate States Army's 7th Virginia Cavalry ...

in 1847 in

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,312, making it the largest city in Marion County. The bulk of the city is in Mario ...

. The couple would have nine children. During the Civil War, her husband was away from Winchester serving as the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

7th Virginia Cavalry The 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment also known as Ashby's Cavalry was a Confederate cavalry regiment raised in the spring of 1861 by Colonel Angus William McDonald The regiment was composed primarily of men from the counties of the Shenandoah Val ...

, leaving Cornelia to stay home with the children. (He would die in December 1864, leaving her a widow.) She kept a detailed diary during the Civil War, which was published in 1875, with a second edition in 1934. It was reprinted in 2003. She was buried beside her husband in Hollywood Cemetery in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

.Find-a-Grave biography of Cornelia McDonald
findagrave.com

Works

* ''A woman's Civil War: a diary, with reminiscences of the war from March 1862'' (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1992),

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Cornelia Peake 1822 births 1909 deaths American diarists Angus McDonald family of Virginia and West Virginia Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Writers from Alexandria, Virginia People from Hannibal, Missouri People from Keyser, West Virginia People from Romney, West Virginia People from Winchester, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War Women in the American Civil War American women non-fiction writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century diarists