Came across this in the book "Louisiana: A Guide to the State," published in 1945. "The Bisland family fled to Natchez at the outbreak of the war . . . In the early months of 1863 several skirmishes were waged on the grounds and through the house itself. Mrs. Wetmore [Elizabeth Bisland Wetmore] pictured the return of her family to its battle-scarred home in an interesting autobiographical novel, A Candle of Understanding (1902)."

My question: Is anyone familiar with this book? I ordered a copy yesterday, but from a description of the book - "Consists of three sections; the voice of a child, the thoughts of youth, and the stream of life." - it doesn't sound like much of a Civil War memoir. Was wondering if anyone had ever read it?

And just a general observation: Books published in the 1940s and before sure are a lot more informative and interesting than books that are published now. Back then, authors could say what they observed, and they could say it however they chose. Once political correctness took hold - let's just say that the later printed copies of that same state guide aren't nearly as interesting.