Virginia Military Institute -- Cadet compositions -- Poetry

Scope and Contents The collection consists of a poetry notebook compiled by William Elisha Arnold during the period 1849-1864; the bulk of the entries date from the years in which he was a student at the Virginia Military Institute, 1849-1853. Such notebooks were popular among VMI cadets of the mid-19th century and typically contain both original and copied verse. The Arnold notebook contains approximately 50 poems by Arnold, other cadets, various 19th century poets, and anonymous authors. Cadet poetry includes...