As a Confederate, Miss Holmes' writings reflected the early confidence of the Southern United States at the start of the war, but later turned to despair as the conflict grew closer to home.
For instance, on March 18, 1861 Emma reported that "Uncle Edward (Holmes), who was then in Washington, had written to General (Winfield) Scott asking if Fort Sumter really was to be given up, and was answered in the affirmative."
A subsequent diary entry, on March 20, 1861, reported that, "A letter has been received from Uncle Edward, saying he has seen (Gen. Winfield) Scott, who assured him there would be no collision between the two forces but never even mentioned Fort Sumter."
On March 31, 1862, Emma reported that "We were surprised by the arrival before breakfast of cousin Wilmot (De Saussure) and Governor (Francis) Pickens," who came by to take the family to view fortifications around the city.
The dinner was in regular city style, boned turkey, ham, lobster, salad, etc, but it was also laid in camp fashion - all the dessert being on at the same time...fresh preserved peaches, jelly and pound cake and afterwards ice cream and of course champagne and wines.Another diary entry dated March 12, 1863 presented a chilling view of slavery: Margaret (a slave) had become so excessively negligent and indifferent to her duties…that Carrie (Caroline Holmes White, Emma's sister) asked Isaac to punish her...He...after dark took her to an extreme end of the garden, intending to reprimand her and with a light strap gave her two or three cuts across her shoulders... She tore away...and sprang into the creek…she plunged head foremost...Mr. Bull had the creek dragged unsuccessfully...and the current must have swept the body out... She had (said) a few days ago that if she was ever touched again she would drown or kill herself…But none dreamed of such a demoniac temper...It put poor Isaac nearly crazy, for he blamed himself as...undue severity... Poor fellow, to have his peace of mind destroyed by the blind rage of such a creature is too dreadful.Another entry, on July 16, 1861, described a house slave who evidently killed a neighbor's infant child.
On March 21, 1863, her diary entry was as follows: Brother Henry has written me an account of a 12 days trip in the Cumberland Mountains hunting bushwackers, as the Tories there are called, in which they underwent frightful cold exposure and fatigue, through pouring rains...almost without food, the wagons having to be left behind ; they went from Tennessee to Western North Carolina.Earlier, on November 9, 1862, Miss Holmes reported, Mother received a letter ...from Henry, dated Tennessee...his company was in the battle of Richmond, Kentucky and received the credit from Maj. Brown, chief of Gen. Kirby Smith's staff, of winning that battle by enabling our forces to outflank the enemy...he is still only sergeant, through acting surgeon also.