The collection consists of three letters written by Cheyney W. Nields (two to his mother and one to his sister) between August 1861 and December 1862. The first letter is dated August 16, 1861, and was written from Camp Todd, Annapolis, Maryland, to Nields' mother. The letter recounts the capture of medical supplies by Union soldiers and his regiment's involvement in acquiring part of them. Included in this seizure was the capture of a prisoner and his possessions: gold, silver, and Confederate Army correspondence. He also writes of the prisoner giving up information on contacts in Baltimore who were in support of the Confederacy. The second letter, dated April 23, 1862, was written to one of his sister's from Catlett's Station, Virginia. He talks of the moving of headquarters in bad weather to an abandoned farm and describes the farm in some detail, as well as some locate sites (including White Sulphur Springs). He also mentions some local residents they found and aks for news from home. The third letter, dated December 20, 1862, was also written to his mother, from White Oak Church, Virginia. He mentions changes in the command structure of the regiment, news of the killed and wounded, his frustrations with the war, and he describes a recent battle. The original envelope for the final letter is also included.