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This collection consists of letters written by or on the behalf of Benjamin Schwartz, who was stationed in Virginia with the 5th Pennsylvania Calvary, Company F. The letters primarily document a brother's concern over his family's health and money he sends to his sister. He includes limited discussion of skirmishes, troop movement, taking and being taken prisoner, and recurrent predictions that the war will end soon. Schwartz mentions that the Union camp at Williamsburg, Virginia, was burned by rebel forces.

Nine stereoviews documenting the Civil War. One is from New York, five are from Virginia, two are from Charleston, South Carolina, and one is from an unknown location. The New York stereoview depicts the funeral procession for President Lincoln. The Charleston stereoviews depict ruins of a cathedral and tomb. The Virginia stereoviews depict images of various soldiers. Other stereoviews depict historical buildings and war images. An unidentified stereoview depicts a group of male laborers holding shovels.

Letter dated 1862 April 18 from Camp on Chessman's Creek addressed to his parents. Everett was in "I" company of the 7th New Jersey Volunteers, 3rd Brigade of Hooker's Division. He describes his unit's travel to Norfolk and then the Yorktown area and the anticipation of a hard battle with the Confederate troops who are assumed to be numerous and well fortified.

This collection contains two autograph books documenting short verses and signatures from various individuals. The autograph books have different owners including one identified only as Thamison and another as Mary. The books have different cover styles and contain autographs from Elizabeth Schooley Dutton (1839-1927) and her family.

One sheet document showing the lease of equipment from Lt. H. Hayes to H. Allen of Company F of the 17th Regiment of the Confederate Virginia Infantry at Brooks Station, Virginia in June of 1863. Allen leases one shirt, blouse, three pairs of drawers, two pairs of shoes, four pairs of stockings, 11 forage caps, one knapsack, four haversacks, and ten boot straps.

Four page letter from Union Officer 2nd Lieutenant Ira Fox Gensel of the 4th United States Regular Infantry from a camp near Roper's meeting House in James City County, Virginia dated May 11, 1862. He describes his march into Williamsburg after the battle that took place in that city and the high casualties as a result of that battle. He calls Williamsburg a beautiful city but the court houses, William and Mary College, and all of the churches are used as hospitals and are filled. Gensel also describes the road out of Williamsburg by which the Rebel Army retreated, filled with horse and cattle corpses, broken down wagons and pieces of cannon. "The retreating Army carries desolation before it."

Letter from Jno. A. Hunter, Medical Director, S.W. Va., C.G. Hospital, Charleston, Va. (W. Va.). to Major General William Wing Loring, Charleston, Va. (W. Va.). He reports on the sanitary condition of the army, casualties and wounded from fighting at Fayette Court House, Cotton Hill, Montgomery's, and Charleston and enemy losses at Fayetteville.

Two page letter to his wife informing her of the voting process within his regiment as he was a commissioner for counting the votes. From his account, Billy Smith beat Bob Scott by 53 votes in his precinct. It is assumed that this vote was for leader of the 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He also gives her instructions regarding bolts of fabric sent to her and her mother to be used entirely for fitting the regiment with uniforms. Lastly, he cannot give sound advice in regard to her mother's wishes to sell an enslaved person, Hawthorne, but hopes that as long as fighting with the Union remains quiet, that he will soon have time to be home and help settle these matters.

Papers, circa 1940s, of Richard Williams, an African-American soldier stationed in Alaska during World War II. Includes a diary, in which he describes the weather, fishing and other recreational activities, and his duties. There are photographs and postcards that have been glued into the diary, which depict the local post office covered in snow, the towns of Juneau and Sitka, as well as Williams and other people that he met. There are also loose photographs, which seem to have come out of the diary, a marriage license for Richard Williams and Mattie Williams, and postcards from other locations.