Anne Home Livingston's reputation as a writer is dependent on her tragic journal which is not only one of the finest diaries of early America but also an important document for women's studies. Anne (Nancy) Home Shippen was born in Philadelphia into one of the more prominent families in colonial America. Her mother, Alice Lee Shippen, was a member of the famous Lee family of Virginia; her father, Dr. William Shippen III, was a prominent physician who would become director of all the American military hospitals during the Revolution and later president of the College of Physicians of the University of Pennsylvania. After the British abandoned Philadelphia in 1778, the Shippens entertained many of the most important members of the colonial army and government. In this setting, Anne's beauty and charm attracted a number of suitors including Albert Otto (later the Compte de Mosloy), a diplomatic secretary. In March...