GONE WITH THE WIND is not only one of the most popular historical romances of all time, but one of the most popular romance films ever made. Who is the person behind the pen that scripted a fascinating civil war world of passion, pride, romance, betrayal, intrigue, murder, mystery, cowardice and valor?
Margaret Mitchell was a woman of small stature and frail health due to repeated car accidents when she penned GONE WITH THE WIND. But, like her beloved heroine Scarlett O'Hara, Margaret Mitchell had her own torrid love affairs and rocky romances.
At the age of eighteen, Margaret met and was secretly engaged to a handsome Lieutenant by the name of Clifford West Henry. This match was not favoured by her friends, and sadly enough, would never come to fruition. Henry would return overseas during World War I and die.
After college, at a party in her hometome of Atlanta, Margaret would meet Berrian Kinnard Upshaw, nicknamed "Red" for his fiery mane of hair. Red was a great tease and Margaret found herself attracted to this tall and charismatic man. Again, Margaret's friends considered the pair to be poorly matched.
Together, Red and Margaret would go drinking at the Peachtree Yacht Club. Red's friends marvelled at how Margaret could hold her liquor. One of these friends was John Marsh, who quickly fell in love with Margaret.
Margaret was to have two marriages that would come to fruition. Her first was on September 2, 1922, to Red Upshaw. This marriage soon ended in ruin, as Red was a drinker and would physically abuse her. After a short time, Red left Margaret alone in their Peachtree Street home and vowed never to return to her.
Devastated by her situation, Margaret turned to John Marsh, who gladly comforted her. On June 17, 1924, after Red had returned to Atlanta and beaten her badly, Margaret divorced him. Then, on July 24, 1925, with her family's blessing Margaret married John Marsh. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh lived in a small apartment which they affectionately referred to as "the dump." Unable to work, Margaret wrote the start of her first novel, which she abandoned after thirty pages. Its heroine was Pansy Hamilton.
Her second attempt at a novel was set in Jonesboro during the Civil War, a period that was very dear to her. As a child, she would delight in stories of Southern splendor and even spent some time picking cotton. This story was about a heroine named Europa Carmagin, who fell in love with a mulatto slave. She shared the manuscript with her husband, John, who believed that
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