Collections

This collection consists of five letters (dated 1848 to 1854) written by Giles Gunn while he was a schoolteacher in Lexington, Virginia. The letters, addressed primarily to his sister Mary (living at the Gunn home in Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut), include discussions of interesting local events as well as references to family. Topics include:

• VMI commencement
• A detailed description of his school and his methods of instruction
• A description of the communion service at a local church, including references to black communicants
• References to the townspeople's reaction to a rumored slave insurrection
• A discussion of the murder of VMI cadet Thomas Blackburn.

John F. Hanna's diary contains a colorful account of life at VMI and in Lexington, Virginia during the Spring of 1864. Entries begin April 17, 1864 and end May 9, 1864. On May 10, the cadets were called to active duty at the request of General John C. Breckinridge and on May 15 participated in the Battle of New Market, Virginia. The entries contain comments about VMI activities and people, Lexington social life, and discussion of personal concerns.

This collection consists of one notebook compiled by William A. Irvine from 1888 to 1889. The notebook contains poetry (copied and original), sketches, and programs from the Lexington Minstrel Club and the VMI Minstrel Club.

This collection consists of the papers (21 items) of 19th century VMI faculty member William Gilham, including:

• Official Register of the Officers and Cadets of the U. S. Military Academy (June 1841)
• A VMI weekly class report (circa 1860)
• A dispatch signed by General Robert E. Lee
• Correspondence, including a letter from Moses Ezekiel (VMI Class of 1866)
• Photographs where the subjects are Robert E. Lee, Gilham and his wife, Libby Prison, and Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War
• Invitations to social events in Lexington, Virginia from the McDowell Family