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
- 1840
Creator
- Preston, Nelson (Person)
Language of Materials
The materials in the collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Historical Note
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 American 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.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
The collection contains a note from Nelson Preston to Captain Robinet discussing the training and muster of the 94th militia regiment from Lee County, Virginia.
Source of Acquisition
The Nelson Preston Letter was purchased by Special Collections in 1993.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Nelson Preston Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing and description of the Nelson Preston Letter commenced and was completed in September 2008.
- Title
- Nelson Preston Letter, 1840
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Emily Cook, Student Assistant
- Date
- 2008 (CC0 1.0)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu