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, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she arranges the arrival of six enslaved people in Greenville. She also advises him on the management of their house in Charleston and warns him to not allow enslaved people to travel without the accompaniment of a white person so as to prevent their impressment.
A handwritten, four-page letter from William Alston Hayne to his uncle, Charles Alston, in which he requests Peruvian Guano or Rhodes Supplemental Phosphate of Lime to use as fertilizer. He also mentions the possibility of the Civil War dragging on for years and suggests that the Alston family build a cottage near his home in case of a sea invasion.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Joseph Alston to his father, Charles Alston, in which he tells him of his experience in a skirmish with a Union gunboat and updates him on the movement of other Confederate troops. He also discusses the spread of edema among enslaved people and them escaping to Union soldiers. In addition, he mentions the conditions at his residence and the spread of fever there.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she relays rumors of enslaved people being impressed into service in Charleston. She advises him on the management of enslaved people such as Andrew, Johny, little Alec, and Brown's wife, and she informs him of the health of relatives in the Confederate military. She also reveals that she has been attempting to hire out an enslaved man, Jack, to various people in Greenville, South Carolina.
A handwritten, two-page letter from James A. Pringle to Charles Alston, forwarded to him by his wife, Emma Alston, in which Pringle updates Charles Alston on his finances, including his payment of the Confederate War tax and holding of Confederate bonds. Emma Alston adds to the letter to inform Charles of the arrival of an enslaved person, Tom Gibbs, to their Greenville farm and express her concerns for the future of Charleston and South Carolina amid the Civil War.
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, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles Alston, in which she worries about the state of Charleston and her family members amid the Civil War.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses the management of enslaved people at Beneventum plantation. She also briefly mentions reports of the military efforts of their sons, John Julius and Joseph, in the Civil War.
A damaged handwritten, four-page letter from Joseph Alston to his father, Charles Alston, in which he relays his experiences in battle and foresees a speedy end to the Civil War. In an attached note, he also informs his father that Union soldiers raided a plantation in Santee, South Carolina, freed its enslaved population, and burned its buildings and crops.
