Jackson, Stonewall, 1824-1863

Scope and Contents The collection consists of the miscellaneous papers of three members of the Barton family who attended the Virginia Military Institute during the mid-19th century. Papers relating to Cadet Charles M. Barton (VMI Class of 1856) include a letter dated September 28, 1855 from Charles to his cousin Joseph M. Barton, in which he complains about VMI life and about his instructor Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (Jackson is described as a "hell of a fool"). Other Charles Barton material is found in a...

Scope and Contents The collection consists of an original manuscript Civil War notebook, including reports (September 1862-May 1863) submitted to the Chief Engineer's Office, Army of Northern Virginia, in which Williamson discusses destroying bridges at Harper's Ferry, and reconnaissance and mapping trips in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont; poetry, notes about architecture and engineering, and Williamson family genealogy. The papers also include miscellaneous correspondence and documents (1868-1898) and...

Scope and Contents From the 1850's through the end of the Civil War, many VMI cadets kept notebooks which they filled with poetry concerning cadet life, songs, recipes, personal notes, autographs of classmates, and other mementos. This notebook, bulk dating from ca. 1862-1863, was compiled by Cadet William "Willie" Galt, VMI Class of 1864. The manuscript reflects the concerns and interests of a wartime cadet and thus contains many verses and songs inspired by the ongoing conflict. A few of the entries toward the...