The principle part of the collection consists of a bound expense/account notebook of James P. Hawkins, agent of the Southern Express Company, which also contains diary entries from 2 April - 10 April 1865, and a collection of loose pages with Hawkins's diary entries for 11 April - 11 May 1865.

During this time, Hawkins was responsible for protecting the valuables of the Richmond office of Southern Express. He arrived in Richmond on April 2, the day the city was evacuated, and writes that he had heard nothing of the evacuation until arriving in the city. He describes the chaos of the city; the rumors "thick as flies"; the "ruling rates" for goods; and "burning at Treasury, Capitol, War Dept, etc." He would spend the next several weeks escorting a number of the Company's safes and records to Charlotte by way of Danville and Greensboro, NC. During that time, he reports on 10 April, "Hear for first time of 'Surrender of Lee and his Army'" and on 18 April, of the assassination of Lincoln and the wounding of Seward. On 10 May, Hawkins is appointed Southern Express agent at Danville.

In addition to the diary entries, the bound notebook contains notes on his expenses and accounts during his travels, memoranda of various kinds (some entirely crossed out). The loose diary pages--written in the same hand as the bound diary, but, perhaps, copied over at a later date--pick up where the bound diary ends. The loose pages continue with descriptions of each day and news of military developments.

Related documents, including special orders, exemption from military service, itemized expenses and receipts, Hawkins's signed Oath of Allegiance to the United States, two letters written to Hawkins, envelopes, and a photograph of an unidentified man taken in a New Orleans studio complete the collection.