Randolph Harrison McKim, born in 1842 in Baltimore, Maryland, was the son of a prominent businessman. McKim attended the University of Virginia until the Civil War began, at which time he joined the Confederate army. McKim served in First Maryland Infantry and as chaplain for the Second Virginia Cavalry.

In A Soldier's Recollections: Leaves from the Diary of a Young Confederate (1910) McKim recounts his Civil War experiences. After recounting the arguments that led to the war, McKim disputes the idea that slavery caused the South to secede from the Union. Drawing from passages in his diary, McKim then tells about the several battles he fought in, and stories about prominent Confederate soldiers and generals, including General G. Steuart of the First Maryland Infantry. He discusses the Battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in depth, analyzing the strategies employed by both sides. In this analysis, he defends General J. E. B. Stuart's decisions at Gettysburg.

Harris Henderson