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 a one volume notebook-diary kept by Virginia Military Institute Cadet Charles T. Haigh in 1862- 1864. The volume provides insight into the life and concerns of a VMI cadet during the Civil War. It primarily contains poetry written by his classmates, as well as poetry by Sara Henderson Smith, the wife of VMI's Superintendent, Francis H. Smith. The diary portion contains sparse entries for the period March-May 1863. Included are occasional references to...

Scope and Contents The papers consist of 16 letters and one postcard written by John G. James to his friend Samuel Y. Ferguson of Witchita Falls, Texas. Of special interest is the letter of April 17, 1927, in which James describes his memories of witnessing the VMI Corps of Cadets arrival in Richmond, April 1861, under the command of Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. This same letter contains a brief recollection of James' participation in Jackson's funeral. Other letters contain James family information, political...