Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the E. H. Murrell Note to General John C. Breckinridge must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: E. H. Murrell Note to General John C. Breckinridge, Ms2010-083, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The E. H. Murrell Note to General John C. Breckinridge was purchased by Special Collections in 2010.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the E. H. Murrell Note to General John C. Breckinridge was completed in November 2010.

Biographical Note

Major General John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875) began his political career as US Representative from Kentucky, and eventually served as the 14th Vice President of the United States under the Presidency of James Buchanan. After his failed presidential bid in 1860, he was appointed US Senator from Kentucky. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Breckinridge was kicked out of the Senate and joined the Confederate army. He was appointed General of the 1st Kentucky Brigade. In 1864 General Breckinridge assumed command of Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. He finally became the Confederate States Secretary of War in 1865. After the war, Breckinridge fled the country, fearing a trial for treason. He was granted amnesty in late 1868 and in 1869 returned to Kentucky, where he died in 1875.

Edward H, Murrell was born in Bedford County, Virginia, on July 31, 1925, to David Gamble and Lucy Alice Tate Murrell. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in the early 1840s. By 1849, he had established a practice in Lynchburg and married Almira Halsey. They had one daughter, Julia, in 1850.

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains a single note from E. H. Murrell, MD, of Lynchburg, Virginia, addressed to General John C. Breckinridge on November 15, 1864 inquiring about the 150 bushels of corn from Montgomery County, VA that had not been delivered. Murrell is instead asking permission purchase 200 bushels that "is entirely for my own consumption and in no wise intended for speculation." The back of the note reads "Permit granted, Nov. 18, 1864."

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in chronological order.

Related Material

Note to General John C. Breckinridge, Ms2009-062. Finding aid available online.

General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling), Ms2010-082. Finding aid available online.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Breckinridge, John C., (John Cabell), 1821-1875

Local Subjects:

• Civil War
• Local/Regional History
• Montgomery County (Va.)

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Note to General John C. Breckinridge, Ms2009-062. Finding aid available online.

General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling), Ms2010-082. Finding aid available online.