Nelson Preston Letter,
Scope and Content
The Nelson Preston Letter is a handwritten note from Lieutenant Colonel Nelson Preston to Captain Robinet concerning the 94th militia regiment from Lee County, Virginia. The note discusses regimental training and a muster held at the Lee County courthouse.
Dates
- Creation: 1840 - 1840
Creator
- Preston, Nelson (Person)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Nelson Preston Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Historical Information
English settlers originally organized a militia in Virginia during the early seventeenth century to defend the nascent colony from the Powhatan Federation. Later, in 1776, the Virginia Assembly issued the Virginia Declaration of Rights (the Virginia Constitution) which defined a militia and stated its superiority to dangerous standing armies. According to the Constitution, militia officers were to be appointed by the governor with the advice of county courts or the Privy Council.
During the Civil War, militia regiments were utilized by the Confederate forces. The 94th militia regiment would be called into service by General Marshall from March to May, 1862.
Full Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Note from Nelson Preston to Captain Robinet discussing the training and muster of the 94th militia regiment from Lee County, Virginia.
Acquisition Information
The Nelson Preston Letter was purchased by Special Collections in 1993.
General Physical Description note
1 container; 0.1 cu. ft.
Processing Information
The processing and description of the Nelson Preston Letter occurred in September, 2008.
- Title
- A Guide to the Nelson Preston Letter, 1840
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Emily Cook
- Date
- © 2008 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu