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The Stonewall Jackson papers consist primarily of the personal papers of Civil War General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863). The bulk of the letters date from the pre-Civil War period and concern professional, personal, and domestic matters, including many in which Jackson writes about his religious faith, his concerns about health and diet, and his family.

The bulk of the William D. Stuart papers consists of the Civil War papers (60 items; 1861-1863) of Stuart. The papers contain:

• Correspondence to and from various Confederate Army officers
• Morning and guard reports
• Military orders
• Invoices and receipts documenting Stuart's brief service with the 15th Virginia Infantry Regiment and his command of the 56th Virginia Infantry Regiment

This collection consists of eight letters and one letter fragment from Cadet John B. Snodgrass to his sister Katherine (Kate) Snodgrass-Boyd. All letters are dated 1862 and written from VMI, Lexington, Virginia. The primary topic is the Civil War and its effect on the Snodgrass family, with occasional references to VMI. Multiple letters (see April 19, May 1, May 18) mention that Corps of Cadets has been ordered to aid General Stonewall Jackson because he is "anxious to get a shot at the enemy."

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 John E. Roller papers include:

• Civil War era letters from cadet friends concerning life at VMI
• Civil War dispatches and telegrams that date from Roller's service with the Confederate States of America engineers, including one document signed by General Robert E. Lee
• One scrapbook (circa 1910) that contains clippings about Civil War battles, veterans, unit reunions, monument dedications, and other related information
• Two photographs, one of Confederate soldier Lieutenant Colonel Samuel T. Walker (10th Virginia Infantry Regiment) and one of the Virginia Legislature Centennial Committee (1871)
• Holograph text of a cadet literary-debating society speech delivered by Cadet Norwood B. Randolph in 1870
• Other items

The Jaqueline Beverly Stanard papers (approximately 20 items) consist of letters from Cadet Stanard to his family (dated 1863 to 1864), a telegram concerning Stanard's body, letters from his brother Robert to their mother (dated 1865), and two essays written at VMI.

The Matthew Fontaine Maury papers consist primarily of letters written by Maury to various members of his family, including daughter Diana Fontaine Corbin (Maury) (1837-1900), son-in-law Spotswood Wellford Corbin (1835-1897), and wife Ann Hull Maury (Herndon) (1811-1901). Other correspondents include Maximilian (1832-1867), Emperor of Mexico, and Empress Carlotta.

These files constitute the major record series generated by the office of Francis H. Smith, VMI's first Superintendent. He served from 1839-1889. The records, (ca. 30 linear feet) consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, order books, speeches and publications, annual reports, personal file, and subject files.

The VMI diplomas collection consists of VMI diplomas from various eras. The oldest is that of Edmund Pendleton, Class of 1842. Contact the VMI Archives for a complete list.

The Edward C. Shepherd papers consist of three notebooks, two documents, and an annotated analytical geometry text that belonged to VMI cadet Edward C. Shepherd during his years at VMI (1851-1855).