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This collection consists of original manuscripts, documents, military orders, illustrations, photographs, and ephemera of the era of the American Civil War collected by Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. Key themes of the collection are the Paxton family of Lexington and Rockbridge County, Virginia, Shenandoah Valley history, the Army of Northern Virginia and Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate States Army, Washington College (later Washington and Lee University) (VA), and Robert E. Lee. The photographs within this collection consist of seven ambrotype and tintype images of unknown people of the Rockbridge and Augusta County (VA) vicinity.

This collection of manuscripts (nine items) principally autograph letters of Civil War notables dating from 1858 to 1906, including a dispatch (dated April 28, 1862) from Stonewall Jackson to General Richard S. Ewell, requesting Ewell's presence. Other signed documents are in the hand of:

• Henry "Light horse Harry" Lee (1794)
• Robert E. Lee (1858)
• James Longstreet (1893)
• Jeb Stuart (1863)
• Mrs. Jeb Stuart (1886)
• Wade Hampton (1889)
• John Mosby (undated)

The John E. Roller papers include:

• Civil War era letters from cadet friends concerning life at VMI
• Civil War dispatches and telegrams that date from Roller's service with the Confederate States of America engineers, including one document signed by General Robert E. Lee
• One scrapbook (circa 1910) that contains clippings about Civil War battles, veterans, unit reunions, monument dedications, and other related information
• Two photographs, one of Confederate soldier Lieutenant Colonel Samuel T. Walker (10th Virginia Infantry Regiment) and one of the Virginia Legislature Centennial Committee (1871)
• Holograph text of a cadet literary-debating society speech delivered by Cadet Norwood B. Randolph in 1870
• Other items

Photostats of letters written by Lee:
April 20, 1861 letters to Winfield Scott and Lt. Roger Jones, resigning his commission and explaining that "Save in the defense of my native state, I never desire again to draw my sword;"
January 8, 1863 to Mrs. Sarah A. Lawton;
August 24, 1865 to the Board of Trustees of Washington College concerning his election to the presidency of that school;
January 27 and July 7, 1866 letters to Reverdy Johnson respecting the estate of G. W. P. Curtis, of which Lee was the sole administrator, and giving his views on the Test Oath;
February 25, 1867 to David S. G. Cabell declining to become a candidate for governor of Virginia.

The Robert E. Lee and Lee Family papers consist of the personal papers of Robert E. Lee and Mary Custis Lee, including documents bearing their signatures. The papers also include one one letter (dated February 1926) from Mrs. William A. Anderson to Sydney B. Williamson that relates the history of a quilt made by Mary Custis Lee that was donated to the VMI Museum.

This collection contains primary and secondary resources pertaining to Robert E. Lee and the Lee family. Included are correspondences from, to, and about Lee and various family members; memorabilia, pamphlets, photographs, reminiscences, miscellaneous personal papers, family history and genealogy. The collection includes materials acquired from the Lee family and items donated to and purchased and compiled by W&L University since Lee's tenure as president of Washington College from 1865 - 1870. Adminstrative papers, such as President's Reports, etc..., from Robert E. Lee's presidency of the school may be found within the W&L University Archives. Please contact W&L Special Collections for information regarding the University Archives.