This collection contains a February 21, 1862, letter from Civil War soldier Charles Christensen, camped at Cairo, Illinois, to Richard Morris of Cedar Lake Wisconsin. Christensen, a member of the 8th Wisconsin, discusses his regiment, Union victories at Forts Donelson and Henry, Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman, possible rebel attacks at Cairo, the overpopulation of prisoners of war, as well as personal family matters.

H. L. Bedford's memoir provides a detailed account of the placement and use of Confederate artillery at Fort Donelson. The memoir disagrees with Union reports included in the Official Records and rehabilitates the reputation of Confederate troops and commanders at the fort. Bedford was an adjutant in the Tennessee Corps of Artillery.

Moses Owen of the 7th Ohio Infantry, Company F, wrote this letter to his mother on February 18, 1862, just after the Battle of Fort Donelson.

Robert Kepner wrote this letter to his sisters, Ellen and Mary, while he was stationed at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, during the Civil War. In it, he complains of being ill, thanks them for the books they sent, and informs them that he can buy books for 25 cents or just take them from the "Rebel camps" for free.