This collection consists of a single letter written by "Aunt Hetty" (or possibly Netty) at Bedford (Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania) on August 26, 1861. Addressed to "My dear John," the letter shares news of mutual acquaintances and of the war: "We read with breathless interest the details of the desperate battle near Springfield, and we mourn for Gen Lyon as one of our best and bravest." The writer also complains of the presence of Confederate Colonel [John] Pegram at the springs as he recuperates following his surrender: "I think we can never succeed while traitors taken in arms are permitted to travel & recruit their health at watering places. Our government is all too mild. ... All officers who have left the service of the U. S. are traitors and ought to rank with Benedict Arnold in the estimation of all honest men." She also relays news of "Watson" and his negative experiences as a miner in California.