This is Joseph Addison Waddell, who was married to Virginia McClung, my second cousin five times removed.

Before the Civil War, Waddell owned and edited a newspaper in Augusta County, Virginia, the Staunton Spectator. He kept a diary from 1855 to 1865 that, among other things, told about life at home during the war.  It is now online at http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/papers/AD1500. He mentions his wife,Virginia, many times.

I found an October 1856 entry interesting.  The entry reads as follows:

"D^r M^cGill proposed to buy Selena today, and offered me $1000 — I would not have sold her for $20,000, unless she desired to go, or had grossly misbehaved. This thing of speculating on human flesh is utterly horrible to me — the money would eat into my flesh like hot iron. Slavery itself is extremely repulsive to my feelings, and I earnestly desire its extinction everywhere, when it can be done judiciously, and so as to promote the welfare of both races. Yet I am no abolitionists. The day for emancipation with us has not come, and we must wait God's time. For the present all that the most philanthropic can do is to endeavor to ameliorate the institution; but it is hard to do this in the midst of the mischievous interference of outside fanatics"

It is hard for me to imagine how slavery could have existed, so I am fascinated by accounts that describe the feelings of the time.  Even with his misgivings about slavery, Waddell served during the Civil War as a clerk in the Quartermaster's Office in  Staunton, Virginia. He stayed loyal to his state.

The diary covers many events.  It's especially interesting to see how Waddell received information.  Some in person, some by telegraph--when it was working.  In June 1865, he wrote:

"Gen. Duval issued a proclamation to-day to the negroes informing them that by virtue of the President's Proclamation of January 2, 1863, they were free and at liberty to enter into contracts for performing labor, that they must work for a maintenance, probably harder than they ever worked before; that idleness would not be tolerated, and those found unemployed would be severely punished; advising them to remain at their houses, +c +c. — not a word as to the aged, bed-ridden, infants and other helpless classes — They are set free, with no obligations on the part of their "late owners" to maintain them. I had a talk with Selena to-night, giving her information and making suggestions about our arrangements. I have always hated the institution of slavery, but I love the negro. There are a thousand tender associations connected with family servants — many of them have been like near relatives, and I have wept over them when they were dying. But all this is rudely destroyed"