James I. Robertson Jr. Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

Collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], James I. Robertson Jr. Papers, Accession, Ms1994-021, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
30.4 Cubic Feet 43 boxes and 1 oversize folder
Creator:
Robertson, James I., Jr.
Abstract:
This collection includes research notes, manuscripts, typescript drafts, working copies and galley proofs for books and articles written by Virginia Tech's Alumni Distinguished Professor of History James I. Robertson Jr., 1982-2001. Large collection of notes, papers, and correspondence relateing to Virginia Civil War counties and units. Also contains a small set of general materials which includes items related to the preservation of lands adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], James I. Robertson Jr. Papers, Accession, Ms1994-021, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of James I. Robertson Jr., American Civil War historian, author, and Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech, span the dates 1849 to 2011 and are comprised of writings, research papers, and collected original materials for the Civil War and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The writings consist of materials (research notes, manuscript drafts, typescript drafts and galley proofs) related to the writing and publication of a portion of Robertson's books and articles between 1982 and 2004, a large collection of notes and records of Virginia county and Civil War activity, and a collection of Virginia Civil War unit notes, records, and correspondence. Some general materials includes items related to the preservation of lands adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park and a few manuscript drafts for various speeches made by Robertson.

Biographical / historical:

American Civil War historian and Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech, James I. "Bud" Robertson, Jr. (1930-2019) was born in Danville, Virginia. After graduating from Randolph-Macon College (B.A., 1955), Robertson obtained his M.A. (1956) and Ph.D. (1959) at Emory University and served as a teaching fellow (instructor in history) at Emory from 1958 to 1959. From 1959 to 1961, Robertson served as editor of Civil War History, a quarterly journal published by the University of Iowa. In 1961, he was appointed executive director of the National Civil War Centennial Commission by President John F. Kennedy and served until 1965, supervising the national observance of the Civil War centenary. Robertson served as professor of history at the University of Montana from 1965 until 1967, when he joined the faculty of Virginia Tech. He served as History Department head from 1969 to 1977, and was C. P. Miles Professor of History from 1977 to 1992. He became Alumni Distinguished Professor of History in 1992.

Robertson has authored many award-winning scholarly books on Civil War-related topics, including Soldiers Blue and Gray (1988) (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in History), Civil War Virginia: Battleground for a Nation (1991), General A. P. Hill: The Story of a Confederate Warrior; and Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend (1997). He has also written two books for younger readers: Civil War! America Becomes One Nation (1992) and Standing Like a Stone Wall: the Life of General Thomas J. Jackson (2001). Robertson has been a contributing author and editor for several other works; his articles, too numerous to list here, have appeared in many encyclopedias, Civil War magazines and historical society journals.

Acquisition information:
The Robertson Papers were donated by James I. and Elizabeth Robertson in several accessions from 1992 until 2016.
Processing information:

Accession I was processed in May 1996 by Helen Harrison, student assistant, and Laura Katz Smith, manuscripts curator. Processing, arrangement and description of Accession II commenced in September 2002 and was completed in November 2002. The two accessions were merged at this time. Additional accessions processed by Miles Abernethy from Janruary to May 2022 and August 2022.

Arrangement:

Series I: Writings, 1981-2004
This series contains research notes, manuscript and typescript drafts, edited working copies, master copies and galley proofs for 10 books and two articles published between 1982 and 2004. The series is arranged by the works' chronological order of publication. The materials for each work are arranged in chronological order, according to the dates supplied. (Where dates were unavailable, the sequence was determined by comparing the different drafts.) The drafts include revisions made by Robertson and others (identified in the individual folder descriptions, when possible). The series' holdings are not comprehensive and do not include every draft of every work. The subseries for Jackson & Lee, for example, contains only a typescript draft of a single chapter.

Series II: General Materials, 1862-1996
All materials not directly related to the writing and publication of Robertson's works are assembled within this series, which includes items pertaining to the preservation of lands adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park, manuscript drafts for various speeches made by Robertson, a list of articles written by Robertson and assorted ephemera. Materials are arranged by function.

Series III: Virginia County Records, 1852-2005
This series contains records of Virginia counties during and after the American Civil War, including xeroxed sets of letters as well as additional records of individuals and other ephemeral material.

Series IV: Virginia Unit Records, 1849-2011
This series contains records of Virginia units during the American Civil War, including xeroxed sets of letters as well as additional records of individuals and other ephemeral material.

Series V: Oversize Materials, [1982?]-2000, n.d.
This series consists of oversize galley proofs which were too large to be filed in Series I. Items in this series are arranged according to the order in which they would have been filed had they remained in Series I.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard