Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Oliver M. Rutledge Papers, mss 00009, Virginia Military Institute Archives, Lexington, Virginia.

Biographical/Historical Information

Oliver Middleton Rutledge, the son of Benjamin Huger Rutledge and Eleanor Middleton, was born at Columbia, South Carolina on September 1, 1862. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1882, standing 17th out of 59 graduates. After completing his education he was a planter and lumber businessman in Fletcher, North Carolina. Rutledge married Helen Bagley Blake of Charleston, SC on October 5, 1892. The couple had 5 children: Helen, Frances, Oliver, Elise, and Dorothy. He died May 17, 1928 at Fletcher, NC.

Scope and Content Information

The Oliver M. Rutledge Papers consist primarily of incoming and outgoing correspondence of Virginia Military Institute Cadet Oliver M. Rutledge for the period 1879-1882. Included are letters received at from parents, siblings and friends. A few letters written by Rutledge contain references to cadet life in the 1880's. The letter of May 14, 1882 to his mother describes the mineral springs resort at Dagger's Springs, Virginia. Additional miscellaneous items include an 1882 VMI graduation invitation and a poem dedicated to the Class of 1882.