Conditions Governing Use

The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Online Access

View this collection online via the W&L's Digital Archive

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], William Preston Johnston Collection, WLU Coll 0015, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.

In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections staff to verify the appropriate format.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Letter to Preston Johnston Beale was a gift of Oscar B. Huffman.

Biographical Note

William Preston Johnston was born on January 5, 1831 to Albert Sidney and Henrietta Preston Johnston. He was a lawyer, soldier, and educator. He left his law practice to serve the Confederate States. Johnston served as chair of history and literature at Washington and Lee University from 1867-1877. He died on July 16, 1899.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of four items. The first item is a letter written November 4, 1870 to Johnston from a committee which was formed to solicit copies of remarks by various people given by associates of the Army of Northern Virginia for publication. The second item is a letter written to Johnston by William Davis and concerns money raised for a Robert E. Lee monument. It is dated January 13, 1872. The third item is a typescript broadside dated June 24, 1874. It was written by Johnston on behalf of Washington and Lee University for the Southern Collegian . It addresses the need for alumni gifts in order to keep the university's number of matriculates up while the South is impoverished. The fourth item is a letter written by Johnston, dated July 19, 1878, to Preston Johnston Beale. Johnston gifts Beale a copy of a book about Albert Sidney Johnston.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Beale, Preston Johnston
• Broadsides
• Correspondence
• Johnston, William Preston
• Washington and Lee University