Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly correspondence, 1861-1865, of Samuel J. C. Moore and his wife Ellen Moore while he served as an officer in the 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment with Stonewall Jackson and, later, as adjutant to Jubal Early. Also scattered throughout are letters from Samuel to his son Samuel Scolley Moore and to and from other Moore relatives and friends.

The earliest materials are Samuel's 1847 license to practice law in Virginia; an 1858 letter relating to a legal case; Ellen's 1859 letter to Samuel, who was on a trip south; and Samuel's 1860 commission in the Virginia militia.

In the very detailed letters between Samuel and Ellen, Ellen told her husband about family and neighborhood activities and sought his opinions and instructions relating to family and farm management. Samuel wrote of military life and the conduct of the war, specific battles, and his longing for home. He also tried to answer Ellen's questions, commented on her news, and advised her as best he could on how to conduct their affairs in his absence.

Correspondence between Samuel and Ellen in 1861 documents his travels between Harper's Ferry, Va., and the Maryland hills with the 2nd Regiment Virginia Volunteers and her management of family and farm in Berryville. On 3 July, Samuel wrote, "... we expect to have the first great battle of the war." Letters of 22 July and 25 August contain detailed descriptions of the Manassas battle. On 31 July, Samuel wrote of the wounding of Stonewall Jackson, and, on 9 October, of the troops in disarray. Also included are a few copies of official orders from and to Samuel, including one dated 23 October wherein he ordered the rounding up of deserters, and several muster rolls for the 2nd Regiment Virginia Volunteers.

In January 1862, Samuel and his troop moved to Romney, Va., but they were back near Winchester, Va., by March. Many of Samuel's 1862 letters discuss Stonewall Jackson, the man and commander. His letter of 26 March describes the first Battle of Kernstown, which opened Jackson's Shenandoah Valley campaign. On 21 July, there is Samuel's holograph transcription of Colonel James W. Allen's report to Jackson on the Battle of First Manassas. A letter dated 12 August tells of the Battle of Cedar Mountain, and one of 15 December describes the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg.

On 25 January 1863, Samuel wrote of the defenses at Fort Royal, Va. On 23 March, he sent a copy of general order No. 46 instructing the soldiers to join in prayer, to his son Samuel Scolley Moore, then a student at the University of Virginia, where Ellen appears to have visited him in July. Letters of 4, 6, and 8 May describe the Battle of Chancellorsville. On 15 July, Samuel commented, "Genl. Lee seems to have forgotten his usual caution, and hurried his army [at Gettysburg] against a position which it was impossible to carry." On 6 August, he described a dancing party for officers at Montpelier, and, on 14 September, offered an assessment of General William Jones, the new commander of Samuel's brigade.

On 11 February 1864, Samuel wrote of the skirmish at Morton's Ford on the Rapidan. On 6 March, he described sifting through bones at Chancellorsville, and, on 17 March, wrote of a military execution that was to take place the next day. Letters of October through December discuss Jubal Early and the work Samuel performed for him.

In a letter dated 16 February 1865, Samuel described a visit to the Lunatic Asylum at Staunton, Va., with generals Early and Fitzhugh Lee. Letters in March tell of Sheridan and Custer's rout of Early's command at Waynesboro, Samuel's capture of Captain Bruton of Custer's staff, and Samuel's own capture and escape to Richmond. On 29 March, he wrote of his deplorable physical condition and pondered his future.

Undated Civil War letters and fragments are chiefly from Ellen to Samuel.

Postwar letters include one dated 20 July 1869 in which an unknown person protested to General Hunter: "Yesterday your underling Capt. Martindale of the first New York ... Cavalry executed your order and burned my house." There are also several letters from the 1880s and 1890s to and from Samuel, who apparently was collecting and sharing information about particular Civil War incidents. During this time, his letterhead read "Law Offices of Moore & Kownslar, Berryville, Va." The 1937 and 1939 items are a partially completed application of Frances Bryan Moore, Samuel and Ellen's granddaughter, for membership in the United Daughters of the Confederacy and a yearbook for its Parkersburg Chapter.

Writings of Samuel J. C. Moore and others about the Civil War, including the Battle of Cedar Creek, and about Stonewall Jackson and Jubal Early. Also included is a typed copy of the memoir of Samuel Scolley Moore, with much material relating to his father Samuel J. C. Moore's activities during the Civil War.