PUBLIC "-//Virginia Military Institute::Preston Library::Archives//TEXT (US::ViLxV::vilxv00033::A Guide to the Edward M. Watson Letter)//EN" "vilxv00033.xml" A Guide to the Edward M. Watson Letter, 1868 Watson, Edward M., letter mss 00011 Diane B. Jacob Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Virginia Military Institute Archives © 2002 Virginia Military Institute

Conditions of Use

Machine-readable finding aid derived from Microsoft Access database. Machine-readable finding aid created by Diane Jacob. Date of source: 2002 Description is in English Feb 16, 2004 PUBLIC "-//Virginia Military Institute::Preston Library::Archives//TEXT (US::ViLxV::vilxv00033::A Guide to the Edward M. Watson Letter)//EN" "vilxv00033.xml" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Feb 26, 2004 converted to conform to eadVIVA.dtd by vivastrict.xsl 2013-11-21 Converted to schema conforming EAD by dtd2schema.vh.xsl. A Guide to the Edward M. Watson Letter, 1868 A Collection in Virginia Military Institute Archives mss 00011

Virginia Military Institute Archives 2002 Virginia Military Institute Archives Staff Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Archives, Preston Library, Virginia Military Institute Descriptive Summary Archives, Preston Library, Virginia Military Institute Edward M. Watson Letter 1868 mss 00011 The collection consists of one item. English Administrative Information Access

There are no restrictions.

 Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

 Preferred Citation

Edward M. Watson Letter, mss 00011, Virginia Military Institute Archives, Lexington, Virginia.

 Biographical/Historical Information

Edward Minor Watson was born in 1851, the son of John W. C. Watson, a lawyer and judge. He entered the Virginia Military Institute on September 14, 1868, from his home at Holly Springs, Mississippi and studied at VMI for one academic year, resigning his cadetship in 1869. Watson subsequently read law and received his license in 1871. He served as an attorney in the Department of Justice during President Grover Cleveland's first administration. Watson married Lily Moore of Noxubee County, Mississippi in 1871. The couple had five children: Dudley, Edward, William, Jean, and Anne. He died on December 7, 1887.

 Scope and Content Information

The collection consists of one letter (September 17, 1868) written by Virginia Military Institute Cadet Edward M. Watson to his father. Watson describes in detail the typical daily new cadet routine at VMI during the post-Civil War years. Topics include reveille, roll call, inspections, meals, study and recitation, drill and parade. The letter contains one of the earliest documented examples of term "rat" as a reference to a new cadet.