This collection consists of two letters that Union soldier Cyrus Foote, who was then serving with Company D of the 112th Illinois Infantry Regiment, wrote to his brother William from Camp Ella Bishop, Kentucky, in 1863.

This collection consists of two diaries, an ambrotype, and a Grand Army of the Republic Veterans' medal relating to Sergeant Frank Bean. Bean, a Sergeant in the Union Army, served in and around Tennessee during the American Civil War.

This collection houses the diary of Private James B. David of the 89th Illinois Infantry Regiment. The diary documents entire year of 1864, but it only has a few references for the months of November and December. The first pages of the diary list the addresses of some of the soldiers who served with David.

The Boyd Letters, 1862-1864, contains six letters written by Joseph E. Boyd of the 115th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Specifically, this correspondence describes Union military camp conditions, the environment of Tennessee, Union soldiers' viewpoints regarding the war and Confederates, battles and military operations in Middle and East Tennessee, and the family concerns of Union soldiers.