The Life and Letters of Margaret Junkin Preston [1903]

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Biography and tribute to “the female poet of the South” by her stepdaughter. — Margaret (“Maggie”) Preston used to be connected with a large number of luminaries in the Christian, military and literary worlds of the 19th century, in addition to being an accomplished and influential scholar, poet and literary critic herself. — She used to be the eldest daughter of the famous Presbyterian minister, Dr. George Junkin, who moved South with his family to change into president of Washington College in Lexington, Va.; there she remained until the previous few years of her life. — Identifying with Southern values and ideals, her influence became around the world through her poetry and correspondence. Her husband, Maj. J. T. L. Preston used to be a co-founder of Virginia Military Institute in Lexington and its first faculty member. Right through the War Between the States he served as Col. in the Confederate army and as Adjutant-General on the staff of “Stonewall” Jackson. — Jackson used to be a close personal friend to the Preston family. He used to be a teaching colleague with Mr. Preston, a fellow church member with them, and brother-in-law to Mrs. Preston, he being married to her younger sister. Few people ever knew the real Jackson better than his sister-in-law did. — She used to be also an intimate friend to the Robert E. Lee family Right through their years in Lexington. Knowing “Marse Robert” for the 5 years preceding his death, and being in continual contact with that family afterward used to be one of her highest honors. — As a poet, she used to be widely read some of the English-speaking peoples of the world and counted a number of the literary giants of the 19th century among her personal friends and regular correspondents. Though “Beechenbrook” used to be her most famous title, a large number of poems on plenty of subjects flowed from her fertile mind and pen. — A large section of the book contains excerpts from her personal diary and correspondence Right through the Civil War years and provides primary source material for that period. But above all, it is clear that her Christian faith provided the foundation for all that she attempted in life; and it used to be the joy of her existence. The life of this remarkable lady used to be summarized by Prof. James A. Harrison of the University of Virginia when he described his friend as: “Woman, Poet, Saint.”

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