Scope and Contents This collection consists of hand-written letters to and from Captain Pettit regarding the prisons and prisoners in Alexandria, military orders, supply lists and ration orders, receipts, and prison reports Pettit drafted for his superiors. The five prisons in Alexandria were Alexandria Jail, Odd Fellow's Hall Prison, Slave Pen Guard House, Washington Street Military Prison, and Prince Street Military Prison. These prisons were used primarily to confine deserters from Union armies. ...

Content Description Most of these papers are letters from Henry C. Hart to his parents, John and Mary Nixon, who also received two letters from their nephew, John C. Hart. The letters relate to camp life in a number of Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. locations: Soldiers Rest, Alexandria; Camp or Fort Reynolds, D.C.; Fort Sumner, D.C.; Rectortown, Fauquier County; Vienna, Virginia; Flint Hill, Rappahannock County; and Fairfax Station. Henry writes about breaking colts for the army, his health, wounded...