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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.

This collection contains two of John Brockenbrough's personal correspondences, a letter of resignation from Washington and Lee University, and a bank receipt from the Bank of Lexington. One of the personal correspondences contains information about military movements in Virginia during the American Civil War.

This collection includes American Civil War recollections of Shields' maternal grandfather, Coupland Randolph Page, including his service with the Liberty Hall Volunteers, the Stonewall Brigade, and the Battle of Gettysburg. In addition, papers contain significant documents about members of the Tucker family, including John Randolph Tucker and Judge Henry St. George Tucker.