Campbell and Varner family papers, 1845/1928

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Preston Library
411 Letcher Avenue
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA 24450
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Jeffrey S. Kozak
Phone: (540) 464-7516
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions

Terms of access:

Manuscript collections in the VMI Archives are made available for educational and research use. The VMI Archives should be cited as the source. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright holders. Materials from our collections may not be redistributed, published or reproduced without permission from the VMI Archives. Contact the VMI Archives for additional information.

Preferred citation:

Campbell and Varner family papers. Manuscript # 0282. Virginia Military Institute Archives

Summary

Extent:
0.5 Linear Feet approximately 40 items in one box and oversized case
Creator:
Varner, Charles V. (Charles Van Buren), 1838-1907, Varner, Andrew W. (Andrew Wallace), 1831-1910, and Campbell, R. Henry (Robert Henry), ?-1870
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Campbell and Varner family papers. Manuscript # 0282. Virginia Military Institute Archives

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and documents of R. Henry Campbell and members of the Varner Family of Lexington, Virginia. The families are related through the marriage of Campbell's sister, Augusta, to Varner.

The collection includes Civil War letters of soldiers R. Henry Campbell (dated April-July, 1861) and Charles V. Varner (dated 1864-1865). The letters were written while they were serving with the Rockbridge Rifles (part of the 4th, 5th, and 27th Virginia Infantry regiments at various dates during the War). Significant topics in Campbell's letters include the unit's stay at Harper's Ferry and Martinsburg, and the 1st Battle of Manassas (1st Bull Run).

Additional correspondence of R. Henry Campbell (dated 1864-1865) was written after he accepted a position in the Treasurer-Quartermaster office at VMI. This correspondence includes:

  • A note (dated May 13, 1864) before the Battle of New Market
  • A letter written on June 14 after Hunter's Raid from the cadet camp at Rope Ferry
  • Letters describing life at VMI's temporary headquarters at the Alms House in Richmond, Virginia, and life in wartime Richmond, including mention of the use of black troops
Other items in this collection include:
  • Two notebooks (circa 1861-1862 and 1864) that contain an early roster of Rockbridge rifles and a list of killed and wounded
  • Family photographs
  • A broadside (July 1865) concerning the occupation of Lexington by Union troops
  • Family documents, including "Rules for the Lexington Classical School" (1845)

Biographical / historical:

Robert Henry Campbell of Lexington, Virginia was a shoemaker. He served with the Rockbridge Rifles during the Civil War (1861 only) and was discharged due to illness (tuberculosis). Campbell then was a clerk and the Quartermaster and Treasurer at VMI from 1864 to 1870. He died in 1870 in Lexington, Virginia.

Charles Van Buren Varner was born in 1838 in Lexington, Virginia. He served with Rockbridge Rifles during Civil War. After the War he was a cabinetmaker and a carpenter at VMI. Varner dided in 1907 in Lexington.

The families are related through the marriage of Campbell's sister, Augusta, to Varner.

Physical location:
Manuscripts stacks and oversized case 2