The collection contains a letter from Madison T. Lawson to his family, written in Lee County, Virginia, on March 28, 1864. Lawson writes of his current location and activities of his regiment, including a recent incursion into Kentucky to capture a mule train. He talks about the difficulties of the terrain, the loss of ground to the Union army, and the scarcity of water in parts of Virginia and Tennessee. He closes with an update on some mutual family and friends serving in the war and with a request for news from home.

The letter is written to "Dear Brother & Sister" and is addressed to E. Payne and family. Records suggest Lawson had five brothers, but no sisters, so the precise relationship between Lawson and his correspondants is unclear. His father was a minister, though, and is it possible he was using this in a religious context.