The collection contains a letter dated May 14, 1861 written from Knoxville, Tennessee. The letter is written by M. C. Butler to his sister America in Oregon. He mentions the trails of living in a border state at the beginning of the Civil War. Politically, he states that "Parties in this city are nearly equally divided, here we have many street fights-much angry contention." He alludes to the safety of Yankees and that many men and students have left to join the CSA army. Economically, he says that "for I fear provisions will be bought at a dear note in the south before the civil war-for all provisions of every kind from the north are prohibited."