Records chiefly consist of membership rolls for volunteer fire companies of Charleston (S.C.) including the Eagle Fire Engine Company, the Charleston Fire Engine Co., the Vigilant Fire Engine Co., Marion Fire Co., Aetna Fire Co., Washington Fire Co., Hope Fire Co., Charleston Fire Company of Axemen, Palmetto Fire Co., German Fire Co., and the Phoenix Fire Company. Also included is a printed blank form that certifies the bearer is an active firefighter and therefore exempt from Confederate military service. Printed on the certificate are two images of fire engines.
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, 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 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.
Letter to Major Gilbert M. Sorrel from Major Raphael J. Moses discussing an issue with the price estimate of beef cattle for Confederate troops. The back side of the letter includes a handwritten note signed by General Robert E. Lee stating he cannot recommend anyone but Major Moses to handle the matter.
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.
Letter from Marx E. Cohen to a "James Tupper" regarding the death of "Marcus," an enslaved man owned by Cohen, while in military service of the Confederate States of America (CSA). Cohen requests a higher remuneration for the loss of "Marcus."
