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The James D. Hankins papers consist of six letters (dated 1920-1921) written by Hankins to his cousin Florence. The letters describe many features of cadet life during the early 1920s, including a New Year's Eve celebration, a feud between the first and third classes, throwing "bombs" in barracks courtyard, final exams, and a ghost haunting barracks.

The James H. Reid papers consist of the Civil War correspondence (18 items) of Reid. Included are 14 letters (dated August-November 1862) from Reid to his parents written while he was a fourth classman at VMI. This correspondence contains many references to wartime cadet life, including the use of the term "rat" as a name for new cadets, hazing, uniforms, food, guard duty, and other aspects of life at VMI.

The James Keith papers consist of the personal papers (22 items) dating from Keith's cadetship, including a scrapbook fragment, three essays written for English and history classes, snapshots (approximately 17 items), and a furlough request.

The John B. Mosby papers consist of six letters from Mosby to family members. Those letters dated 1870 to 1871 concern family matters. The letters written in 1873 from VMI contain references to faculty, academics, and cadet life. These papers also include a grade report for April 1872.

Strange's letter to his sister Anne M. Strange was written just a few months after the Institute's opening day, and is one of the oldest personal cadet letters still in existence. Strange mentions several aspects of cadet life that were common during the pre-Civil War era, including that:

• Final examinations were given orally rather than as written tests, presided over by faculty and the VMI Board of Visitors, and open to the public
• Summer furlough was not automatic, and many cadets stayed at the Institute throughout the year, going into a summer encampment on the Parade Ground from late June until the beginning of the next academic session
• Obtaining extra clothing and other goods from home was a serious matter to most cadets

This collection consists of three notebooks created by John C. Paker. The notebooks contain experiments and lab notes for VMI chemistry and physics classes from 1912 to 1914.

The John L. Tunstall papers consist of the personal papers (five items) Tunstall, including:

• One letter from Tunstall to his mother, in which he describes the cermonies marking the second anniversary of the Battle of New Market (including the reinterment of five of the cadets killed at New Market), recalls the horror of the Civil War, and mentions visit of Robert E. Lee to Stonewall Jackson's gravesite
• Two notebooks containing VMI engineering class notes
• One photograph album containing approximately 33 images of classmates, family, and others
• One book from Tunstall's personal library titled "The Sociable Story Teller"

This collection consists of 14 letters (dated 1868-1871) written by VMI Cadet John Sims (Class of 1871), to members of his family, a VMI quarterly grade report, and other documents. The correspondence provides rich details of cadet life during that era, as well as personal news. Sims mentions many leisure activities and comments on academic life and routine events. The letter dated October 17, 1870 mentions viewing the body of, and preparations for, the funeral of General Robert E. Lee.

The Joseph H. Chenoweth papers consist of letters (dated 1855 to 1861) written by Chenoweth to his parents Lemuel Chenoweth and Nancy A. Hart. Letters dating from his cadetship cover topics such as exams, trips, and demerits, and provide a good portrait of pre-Civil War cadet life.

This collection consists of the papers of Julian Neville Major, VMI Class of 1907. The collection includes:

• VMI grade reports
• Family correspondence while he was a Professor of Mathematics and Engineering at St. John's University, a Protestant college in Shanghai, China
• Correspondence received by his mother during his VMI cadetship and years in China
• Correspondence from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society received prior to his departure for China
• Correspondence from colleagues
• One photograph album documenting life at St. John's University from 1908 to 1911
• One book of handwritten notes concerning "religious instruction" used at St. John's University