Mary seems to be an eloquent writer and a lot can be learned from her diaries, but to call her a heroine is a bit of a stretch! I also wonder after her editing, how much of the truth was embellished or possibly omitted. Can her diary be relied on as a good source of facts about the war?
All things historical must be compared and cross referenced. This Diary included. But once you do that, you'll get a better idea of how things were back then.