The James Kirkpatrick Letters contains two letters from Captain James Kirkpatrick of Company C, Third Missouri Cavalry. The first, dated 14 December 1863, is written from Company Headquarters in Jacksonport, Arkansas, to his wife, Elizabeth, who is home in Clayton, Adams County, Illinois. The second letter, dated 21 June 1864, is written from a camp near Little Rock, Arkansas, to his eldest son, William, age approx. 15 years old, who is serving with the 137th Regiment, Illinois Infantry near Memphis, Tennessee. While the first tells of entering Jacksonport after a brief fight, and matters of health, rations, and exchanging letters from home, the second is largely a warning from father to son to avoid the vices and temptations of camp life. The letters are accompanied by their original envelopes. Two other envelopes (only), both from apparently from James Kirkpatrick, complete the collection. These are Illinois and Mississippi Telegraph envelopes, one addressed to Mrs. E. Kirkpatrick; the other to an H. R. Matley [?] of Clayton, Illinois.