The collection consists of fourteen letters, dating from September 8, 1861, to February 15, 1863, from William Latham Candler to his uncle Charles [probably maternal uncle Charles Henry Wheelwright] and his brother, John W. Candler of Boston during the American Civil War.

The letters are articulate and descriptive, replete with Candler's strong opinions about the state of the Union, the abilities of the generals (Union and Confederate) who were running the war and the politicians who were running the country, and his own ambitions for advancing in rank and status in the army. On May 10, 1862, he writes from Williamsburg, Virginia, about the engagement with the Confederates and their sharpshooters. His June 24, 1962, letters from Fair Oaks, Virginia, and his July 7, 1862 letter from Harrison's Bar, Virginia, describe his units participation in the Battle of Mechanicsville, which was part of the Seven Days Campaign.

Candler's November 6, 1862, letter, written from Washington, D.C., has much about General George McClellan's political troubles, written soon before McClennan was removed from command of the Army of the Potomac and replaced by Ambrose E. Burnside. His December 21, 1862, letter disparagingly comments on the Union army's performance at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13.

Candler interspersed the letters with his concerns about the well-being of his fiance, and later, wife, Fannie, and his fear that his brother John will join the army and leave no one to care for their mother or John's children. Candler often asks his brother, a businessman in Boston, to send money.