Search

Peyton's diaries cover the Civil War and Reconstruction periods and frequently mention conflicts, specifically the Yankees and how many people were killed on both sides of battlefields. His diary entries describe the Yankees being at his home and near his neighbors in Rapidan, Virginia. Many southern generals are mentioned including General (Stonewall Thomas) Jackson, General (J.E.B.) Stuart, and General (Richard S.) Ewell. There are also references to President (Andrew) Johnson.

The Massie family papers contain letters, 1858-1859, from E.B. Massie at the Brookland School, Greenwood Depot, Albemarle County, Va., to his mother, Mrs. E. F. Massie. He requests items; and mentions examinations, the acceptance of Christianity by boys at the school, a visit by Launcelot Blackford, and his election as president of the Piedmont Literary Society; and sends news of classmates and principal William Dinwiddie.

This collection primarily contains Civil War-era letters from William Hogan to his wife, Lucinda, from 1862 to 1864. In addition to the letters, there is a single, undated, photograph of three family members, Lucinda James and Mollie Hogan. Letters between William and Lucinda discuss Confederate camp life, operations on the Hogan family's farm in McDowell County, North Carolina, William's participation in the Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg, observations of Virginia and North Carolina, and the couple's children. Several letters were written from Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, where William recovered after being injured in battle. Most of the letters in the collection are addressed to Lucinda from William, often prefaced with "Dear Wife" and sometimes "Dear Wife and children." Letters from William are written in multiple hands, suggesting he often dictated his letters to other soldiers in camp. Letters from Lucinda are prefaced with "Dear Husband" and are placed marked with McDowell County. William's letters often express his discontentment with the war, his hatred of "the yankes," and his longing to be back home with his family in McDowell.