Of the sixteen letters in this group, fourteen were written by John Nathaniel Peed (1843-1935) and two by James Oscar Peed (1845-1863), brothers from King George County, Virginia who served together in the Confederate army. The earliest letters in the group are those of James Peed, written from camps along the Rappahannock in the late fall and winter of 1862-63. The second of these, dated 18 January 1863, describes a late December 1862 skirmish with Federal cavalry near Dumfries, Virginia. The action was part of a raid into Dumfries and Occoquan led by Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart. Though Peed confuses the relevant dates (Dyer's Compendium reports skirmishing in or near Dumfries on 27-28 December, while the letter purports to describe events that took place on the 26th), he provides a reasonably accurate overview of the action. The raiding party's "advance guard reported yankees close at hand," he writes, "So old Stuart Sent the Gallant Ninth ahead to arous the Vandals." The enemy was ultimately scattered by well-placed artillery fire; according to Peed, eighty-six Union prisoners were taken. There is general agreement between the letter and Stuart's battle report for 27 December, though Stuart writes that the "whole number of prisoners captured by W. H. F. Lee's brigade was 50" (Official Records, Series I, Vol. 21, pp. 731-35). All but four of John Peed's letters date from the late summer, fall and winter of 1864-65. Most were written to his mother; the exceptions are the letters of 18 September and 19 November 1864, addressed to an unidentified aunt and to his uncle, John Owens, respectively. Much of their content relates to the progress of Confederate arms during this period. From August 1864 to March 1865, the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia were stalemated in the trenches ringing Petersburg. The 9th Virginia was operating south of the city in Dinwiddie County, on the extreme right of the Confederate lines. Grant's strategy during the fall of 1864 was to gradually extend Union lines to the west in an effort to cut Petersburg's communications and further stretch the already overextended Confederate defenses. There were major clashes south of the city at Globe Tavern (18-21 August 1864), Ream's Station (25 August 1864), Poplar Springs Church (30 September-2 October 1864), and the Boydton Plank Road (27-28 October 1864), as Union forces sought to cut across and destroy the city's remaining rail links. Peed describes the fighting at Ream's Station and Poplar Springs Church, in which the regiment played conspicuous roles. Though he was absent during the former engagement, his 30 August letter indicates that he was back in camp in time to hear a "complimentary order read out to our Regt this morning complimenting them very highly for their gallantry." The 9th Virginia spent much of the winter of 1864-65 on picket duty in the vicinity of Belfield Station. The last letter in the group is dated 18 February 1865, and was written from camp ten miles southwest of Petersburg along the White Oak Road. This letter mentions the death of Confederate Brig. Gen. John Pegram at Hatcher's Run (5-7 February 1865), an engagement in which the regiment "suffered considerably" (Beale, p. 147). A still later wartime letter of Peed's, now in the possession of Janet and Charles Neimeyer of Alexandria, Virginia, indicates that on 13 March the regiment moved to Stony Creek Station, and on 18 March to the vicinity of Dinwiddie Court House. Here, on 31 March, they clashed with Union troops under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan, temporarily halting Sheridan's advance on the key crossroads of Five Forks. The letters reveal that Peed, like most soldiers, was a devoted consumer of the news. Though he often writes of rumors circulating in camp, he seems disinclined to credit second-hand information until it has appeared in print. "Camp rumor says that Atlanta has been recaptured with a goodly number of Prisoners," he writes on 13 October 1864; "Rumor says that it is in todays paper. I have not seen one In consequence of the mail not having arrived I hope that we will hear glorious news soon." Peed's understanding of the conflict, at least as he chooses to convey it to his mother, is informed as much by newspaper accounts as by first-hand experience, and he often chooses to emphasize matters of strategy and command even while describing actions in which he took part personally. In a letter written after Union troops had extended their lines across the Weldon Railroad (18 September 1864), Peed cites a "yankee account" indicating that Federal commanders were "looking for Gen Lee to attack them every day I should not be surprised myself for I am sure Gen Lee hates their holding that weldon Railroad very bad." In mid-September, the 9th was posted along the Vaughan and Squirrel Level roads running southwest from Petersburg. Attacks did come in this sector late in the month, but they were made by elements of the Union V and IX Corps. Peed writes that "our cavalry and Infantry together checked & drove them back a little where they are now strongly fortified They have advanced about two miles out from the Weldon Railroad." In another letter of 5 October 1864, Peed anticipates that the Federals "are going to make a desperate struggle for the Danville Railroad," but notes that reports of enemy troop movements may indicate "nothing more than a feint." Word of the Confederate reverses at Chaffin's Bluff, along the James River south of Richmond (29-30 September 1864), prompts him to complain that though "I have not seen any news paper accounts of the affair I think myself that our Generals are letting the Yankes get too much of hold around Richmond." This continued pressure on the Confederate defenses around Richmond and Petersburg prevented Lee from strengthening his lines at either place, eventually rendering both untenable. Peed's last letters keep up a show of resolve despite the fading prospects for Confederate military success. Though discouraged by news of Sherman's unhindered advance through Georgia, he writes on 27 December 1864 of his belief "that there is a better Gen. than Sherman or Grant or any of the yankee tribe one that Rules & turns the tide of war Just as he thinks proper. If our Cause is Just why If we never gain another Victory we will come of well in the end." Aside from this reference to providence as the bulwark of the "Cause," there is little in the letters that sheds light on Peed's religious leanings. But on three occasions he mentions his fondness for attending daily worship services, and reports with satisfaction on 7 December 1864 that the "Regt has a chaplin at last." On 18 February 1865 Peed expresses confidence that he can withstand the strain of continued service: "Today is a rainy day & looks like we are going to have more isn't it hard to have to stay out here without any shelter. But I can stand as long as any other man I am sure." But his fortitude, he assures his mother, is unaided by the ration of whiskey lately issued to the regiment by sympathetic commanders. He concludes by reporting that there appears "no chance of disbanding." Indeed, in a letter written only a week later, on 26 February 1865 (Janet and Charles Neimeyer Collection), Peed attempts to allay his mother's fear that the Army of Northern Virginia will leave the state. Though he speaks of ongoing preparations to evacuate Petersburg, he assures her that the city would only be abandoned, if at all, in an effort to straighten the Confederate lines. However, he is certain that other Southern cities, including Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, will soon fall.