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This collection consiste of Alexander Sterrett Paxton's journals in six volumes (484 p.)during the American Civil War. They cover his service as a member of the 4th Virginia Infantry of the Stonewall Brigade, including his role as a Commissary Sergeant of the regiment. Journal entries explore the war experiences of a Confederate foot soldier and include: his insights into motives for war; observations and descriptions of ranking officers, fellow soldiers, friends and family; detailed accounts of battles and campaigns; and experiences in hospitals and camps, including a few pencil-drawn maps of Stonewall Brigade camps (1861-1862). Volume 6 includes a month-long dream journal that Paxton kept in 1864. The collection also includes correspondence between Paxton's second wife, Mary Frances Tapscott Paxton, and her family; ten pre and post-war photographs of Paxton, his brother, Joseph McClung Paxton and other family members (Tapscott family and Lilley family of Augusta County, Va.); and a ca.1860 fraternity/secret society bylaws document handwritten by Paxton.

Personal and professional papers of Amos Ralph Koontz, surgeon. The personal papers, 1865-1986, include the correspondence of Koontz, his wife, Besse (Stocking) Koontz and their son, James William Koontz. Included are travel diaries, documents concerning the College of William and Mary and Johns Hopkins and material relating to social clubs and societies. The professional papers contain correspondence relating to Koontz' medical practice, political material, documents pertaining to military service, memberships in professional organizations, and newspaper and magazine article reprints.

Diary, 1868, of Andrew Graves, a Civil War veteran from Walpole, New Hampshire. Entries describe Native Americans hunting deer, buildings burning down in Winona, town meetings, making cider, working in a field, and other aspects of daily life. At the beginning of the diary, there is a printed calendar that includes major events from the Civil War.

This collection contains the papers, dated 1859-1934, but mainly 1862-1864, of Augustus C. Golding (also spelled as Goldin and , Golden). It includes letters, a letterbook, diaries, documents, pension papers, printed materials, and photographs. All items relate to Golding's service in the Union Army, 1861-1864, in Northern Virginia, on the Virginia peninsula, and in Maryland. Golding's letters to family and friends describe troop movements, battles, camp conditions, his health, a hospital, and the weather. Golding describes his participation in the following battles or their aftermath: Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, Mechanicsville, 2nd Bull Run or Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. He occasionally presents his views on war, politics, and the destruction of Virginia's cities and countryside. He also gives financial and practical advice. The collection contains genealogical data on Golding's immediate family.

Correspondence and other papers, mostly 1810-1860, of the Barraud family of Norfolk, Virginia.

Diaries and legal documents, 1810-1896, written by Benjamin Thompson (1810-1870) and Otis Thompson (1879-1896) of Topsham, Maine. Diaries include description of his life as a teenager working on a farm, people with whom he interacted, towns he visited, and the sermons at his church. There are also diaries of his life as a teacher, which include daily notes on what he taught. There are also descriptions of a trip that Thompson took to Ohio.

Diaries and letters, 1860-1878, of Celia Birdsall and her uncle Ephraim Lockman. Diaries date from 1872 and 1878 and were written by Celia Birdsall; in them, she details her personal life, funerals, what she did each day, and friends with which she met. The letters date 1860-1870 and were written by Ephraim Lockman. In them, he discusses his work, opening his own doctor's practice, and his location in the city of Buffalo, New York. Lockman graduated from Western Reserve Medical School. There are also cut out dolls with faces and clothes drawn on them.

Record, 1862-1865 and 1868-1900, of the sermons of Thomas P. Bryan and others in Birds Nest Chapel [Northampton County, Va. ?] with comments on services and copies of correspondence.