The collection includes the diary of Ebenezer E. Mason, a standard leather bound pocket size edition with three dates per page that covers his experiences from January through August 1864 as well as a few entries in February 1865. The entries typically note the weather of the day as well whether or not Congress was in session. The diary also includes a short poem (original?) and some account information in the back. The diary contains a pocket that holds a period newspaper clipping of an article Mason wrote for the State Journal, making a defense for adopting a new constitution, as well as several receipts and clippings.