A handwritten, four-page letter from Joseph Alston to his mother, Emma Alston, in which he recounts his battle experience in detail, describing the use of cannons and his encounters with Black Union soldiers. During the letter, he switches from ink to pencil.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles Alston, in which she describes the Union attack on Morris Island on July 10, 1863, and details her plans to leave Charleston the next day, including arranging a delivery of osnaburg fabric. She also states that Vicksburg has fallen.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she describes the functioning of their new farm in Greenville, requests items from their plantations, and advises him on the management of enslaved people. She also mentions the possibility of hiring out Jack, an enslaved blacksmith.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she advises him on the management of enslaved people (Alfred, Forester, Philemon, Mitchell, and Andrew) in the face of them possibly escaping to the Union. She also reports on the family's situation and health at the new farm in Greenville.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she shares her fear for the future of South Carolina, specifically Charleston and Georgetown, amid the Civil War. She also mentions the impact of the war on enslaved people and the Middleton family.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she reports on life at the new farm in Greenville, shares her concern for the Union troops' advancement in Georgetown, and advises him on the management of enslaved people.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses the high prices for food and supplies in Greenville and briefly worries about the outlook of the Civil War.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she requests a list of food and supplies to be brought from their plantation in Georgetown to the new farm in Greenville.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she describes life at their new farm in Greenville. She recounts the food and supplies that they have bought and requests that Charles brings various objects from their plantations.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles Alston, in which she discusses her fear of the Union's destruction of Georgetown, South Carolina. She also mentions the dissatisfaction of the enslaved people from one of their plantations and encourages him to visit them in order to dissuade them from escaping.
