Editor Dr. Elizabeth R. Buck has illuminated the life of Lucy Buck, nineteen-year-old daughter of William and Elizabeth Buck, who began a diary that followed her life through the American Civil War. Lucy found it difficult to adapt to this new wartime environment, witnessing the privations of war and grappling with her identity as a southern woman. Through her diary the dramatic actions of the 1862 Battle of Front Royal, the Gettysburg campaign, and many other actions are seen through a civilian lens, as Union and Confederate forces moved through the Buck residence. Lucy documented all these moments, as well as her opinions and feelings toward both sides.