This collection consists of one handwritten letter, written in 1864 in Knoxville, Tennessee, by T. K. Gay of the Signal Corps to his brother Cal in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. It reports that Knoxville is currently tranquil but expresses concern that John Morgan is preparing to attack. Gay hypothesizes that if Morgan were to attack he would meet strong resistance, as more troops were expected for the defense of the city. Gay also opines that the war will end soon.

In an October 29, 1863 letter to his friends and family at home in New Hampshire, John, a Union soldier in Knoxville, writes of traveling through East Tennessee.

The W. Gibbs McAdoo letter, written November 8, 1860, describes the mood in Knoxville, Tenn., after Lincoln's election. He also tells of an incident in which someone tied a tin bucket and a note reading "Going out of the Union" to a dog and turned it loose on Gay Street.

This collection consists primarily of letters documenting William Gannaway Parson Brownlow's service as Governor of Tennessee and showing the problems that Tennessee faced during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Also included are letters to and from Brownlow's son John Bell Brownlow.

Two versions of William Gibbs McAdoo's diary documenting his life from 1846 to 1894. McAdoo wrote this diary and series of letters during the Mexican War, Civil War, and through his later years until 1894. Volume 1 is the draft version of the compilation of these extracts and Volume 2 is the final version.

William M. Cloer, a private in the 62nd North Carolina Infantry (CSA), wrote this letter to friends at home from Morristown, Tennessee on June 24, 1863. He discusses recent Yankee raids in Tennessee, specifically those made during the push towards Knoxville, and his regiment's upcoming move to Cumberland Gap.

This collection houses a letter from William Shackelford, a Union Civil War soldier, to his mother. In it, the writer details his thoughts of what the fate of Jefferson Davis ought to be now that Davis is imprisoned.

A handwritten letter from soldier William W. Fish dated January 25, 1864 and written from a camp five miles outside of Knoxville, Tenn.

The material consists of two handwritten letters by William W. Fish during February 1864.