This collection consists of a single letter written by Fred Lyman, a soldier serving in an unidentified unit (possibly Company E, 14th New York Infantry) during the American Civil War. Written at Miners Hill, Virginia, December 8-9, 1861, the letter is addressed to "Dear Brother and Sister." Lyman writes at length of the recent Indian summer-like weather, then recounts the killing of a hog while on picket, noting that it is against orders to kill anything but that in a heavy fog the hog had been mistaken for a Confederate soldier. Lyman adds that the hog had been the property of "a rebel Justice of the Peace who is a Lieutenant in the rebel Army [who] has left two old slaves to take care of his property[.]" Lyman also mentions his Thanksgiving dinner, the low price of goods purchased locally, and his desire for a lieutenant's commission and raise in pay ("I would rather have $100 per month than $13.00.")