This collection consists primarily of two sets of letters that Harry C. Cushing wrote to his mother, father, and friend Ned Atwell while serving in the U.S. Civil War. The first set of letters is composed of photocopies of original letters held at the Rhode Island Historical Society. The second set are originals written between September 1860 and November 1864 and include the letters that Cushing wrote while stationed in Tennessee from November 1862 to March 1864. Many of these documents provide detailed descriptions of battles as well as witty stories regarding camp life and occasional sketches.