John T. Megee was born in Holmes County, Mississippi, in 1838. The son of William A. Megee (b. 1809; d. 1857), a farmer who had moved from Marion County, Georgia, and Ellen Blue (b. 1816; d. 1903) of Holmes County. Around 1861, he married Eliza P. MacMillian (b. 1839; d. 1907) of the MacMillian family of Holmes County. In August of 1861, he enlisted in Durant, Mississippi, as a second lieutenant in Company G (Nelson Grays), Fourth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry. While seeing action in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Fort Henry, Tennessee, and part of the Atlanta Campaign in Georgia, he was promoted to first lieutenant. After his parole from the Confederate army in 1865, Megee returned to his wife and two children (William A. and Georgie C.) and a farm in Durant. While engaged in farming, Megee apparently received some form of medical training at the University of Louisiana, but it is uncertain whether he ever practiced medicine. Between 1865 and 1878, he fathered seven more children (Sallie Blanche, John M., Thomas J., Johnnie T., Nancy E., Ruby, and Pearl). John T. Megee died in October of 1869, and he was interred in the Saran Cemetery in Durant.

This collection consists of handwritten letters from John T. Megee to his wife, Eliza, a newsclipping regarding Mrs. S. A. Freeman, and genealogical material on the Megee family. In the letters, Megee primarily discusses matters pertaining to military life, such as the morale of Company G and the building of a fortification on the river at Fort Henry, Tennessee. The two letters in which he describes events at Fort Henry appear to be erroneously dated 1861 rather than 1862. He also mentions being under the command of such notable Confederate generals as J. E. Johnston, W. E. Baldwin, and C. W. Sears. Megee family matters, such as sending home salt instead of money and the status of the wheat crop, are briefly discussed. Of particular interest is a newsclipping (printed on cloth) dated August 28, 1878. The newsclipping is an "In Memoriam" for Mrs. S. A. Freeman, wife of Baptist minister John T. Freeman. The Freemans are both mentioned in Megee’s letters to his wife. Megee also refers to a letter that Freeman wrote to Mississippi governor Charles Clark. The genealogical materials consist of a family tree; a page listing the names of Megee, his parents, and his children; and an unsigned note detailing some of the events of Megee’s life.

1. Correspondence (John T. Megee). 1861-1864. 1 folder.
2. Newsclipping. 1878. 1 folder.
3. Genealogical Materials (Megee Family). n.d. 1 folder.