This collection contains papers of the Charlton family of Christiansburg (Montgomery County), Virginia. The collection consists largely of letters written by Davidson W. L. Charlton and his sons James P., Milton, and Pembroke, as well as Waddy Charlton, the elder Charlton's nephew. All of the correspondence is addressed to Oliver (family friend Oliver Hazard Perry Carden (1814-1878), a veteran of the 4th Virginia Infantry who lived with the Charltons for many years). Most of the letters are accompanied by typed transcripts.

Among the correspondence are three letters from Davidson Charlton, encouraging his sons and Carden in their duty and offering to supply them with provisions they may need while in service. He also relays news from home and mentions a local attempt to incite an uprising of enslaved people. In 1862, he writes from the hospital at Staunton, Virginia, where his son, James P., is a patient.

James P. Charlton writes of camp conditions (particularly in winter quarters) and movements of the regiment. He frequently mentions his health and notes his election as a lieutenant, together with his fear of being unable to pass the required examination. He asks for provisions from home, particularly for a planned Christmas dinner in 1862. He also writes of the regiment being under quarantine after a smallpox outbreak.

Writing from camps mostly in southwestern Virginia, Milton Charlton relays news of his regiment's movements and weather and crop conditions. He also discusses an increase of desertion among the regiment. The letters of Waddy C. Charlton, meanwhile, focus largely on personal matters, but he also discusses camp incidents (including a large snowball battle between divisions) and the outcome of the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign.

The collection also includes a small collection of correspondence of the James P. Charlton family and Charlton family legal/financial documents and ephemera. Materials on Charlton family genealogy and southwestern Virginia local history complete the collection and include a copy of State Historical Markers of Virginia, in which Charlton family information has been recorded.