Bulk of the correspondence consists of 121 letters written by Rufus Chapman, Union soldier with the 8th Maine Infantry Regiment, to his wife Catherine in Acton, Maine. Rufus discusses general military strategy, health (including small pox vaccinations), cost of goods, state aid for the family, and the blockade of Charleston harbor. Rufus also reports on his regiment's movements through South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. In addition to the letters from her husband, the collection contains four letters sent to Catherine Chapman by her brother James, a Union soldier with the 10th Massachusetts Regiment. The letters by James were written from Camp Fair Oaks near Richmond, VA, and Camp Brightwood, Washington, D.C. 1861-1863 and includes a description of the Battle of Fair Oaks. The collection contains single letters received by Catherine from her mother Sarah Bell (1862), sister Harriet (1862), Henry A. Wetherbee (1863), Abby D Chapman (1864), and son Alonzo Page Chapman (1865). There is a copy of an act signed by Abner Coburn concerning support for families of Volunteers, a letter to Rufus Chapman from A. Brainard of Greenfield addressing a financial matter, a newspaper clipping listing the names of casualties and injuries from the 10th Massachusetts Regiment at the Battle of Fair Oaks, and a Golden Wedding (50th) anniversary announcement for Rufus and Catherine Chapman.