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Civil War diaries authored by First Lieutenant (later Major) Fabricius A. Cather from Flemington, Taylor County, West Virginia, records his experiences in the military and political conflicts of the Civil War. The six diaries, and a transcribed copy of the original 1864 and 1865 diaries, contain entries for the years 1860 to 1865 regarding western Virginia's grassroots efforts to secede from the Confederacy and establish a new state, and of the first battles and skirmishes such as Rich Mountain and Corricks Ford. He describes campaigns involving his regiment, the First West Virginia Cavalry, including the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign under Sigel, Hunter, Sheridan, and Custer against Breckenridge, Early, and Mosby's Rangers; the last battles of Petersburg as Grant broke the Rebel lines; and the continuous fighting during Lee's retreat. Although most diary entries are one or two sentences in length, some entries in 1864 and 1865 are longer, perhaps due to his full involvement in combat. The collection also contains 18 items stored in pockets inside the covers of the diaries, including headquarters passes, business cards, and a complimentary pass for Lt. Cather to attend the June, 1861 "NorthWestern Virginia Convention" in Wheeling. An Addendum includes two scans of photos of Cather, two scans of Civil War military service papers, photocopies of an 1873 Kansas Land Grant, and genealogy material documenting the Cather family.

Order book of Battery E, 1st West Virginia Light Artillery, documenting orders received by the commander of the unit, Captain Alexander C. Moore, in the period 10/1863 to 3/1865. There are 49 leaves of material regarding: deportment of soldiers in town, disarming of citizens, leaves of absence and furloughs, logistics, medical duty assignments ("small pox"), missing in action report methodology, organization of units, protection of private property, desertion reports, treatment of private citizens, and troop movements, among other topics. This unit served in the Shenandoah Valley campaigns of 1864, among other assignments. For additional information see Scope and Content Note, and Historical Note.

Typescript by John Hatcher, a Confederate veteran and West Virginia native, titled "Recollections of the Civil War 1861-1865". Hatcher served in the Confederate Army from August 1861 until he was taken prisoner in November 1864. Hatcher writes about his unit's movements, battles participated in, officers encountered, and hardships endured. For further information, see "Scope and Contents" and "Biographical Note".