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The James Silver papers consist of 12 letters, each of which is several pages long, composed by Silver during his 1872 visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, recounting his journey from New York, where his family resided, to Louisiana, as well as his time spent in and around New Orleans. Silver included 39 ink sketches of people and scenery throughout his letters.

The James Silver papers consist of 12 letters, each of which is several pages long, composed by Silver during his 1872 visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, recounting his journey from New York, where his family resided, to Louisiana, as well as his time spent in and around New Orleans. Silver included 39 ink sketches of people and scenery throughout his letters. The rough voyage took him past Havana, Cuba, before he entered the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River Delta. In New Orleans, Silver wrote about the sights and sounds in detail, paying particular attention to the peculiarity of hearing French in the French Quarter, of taking a train ride to Lake Pontchartrain, and of seeing the Mardi Gras celebrations. The young traveler frequently mentioned African Americans, and included some ink sketches of them in his letters. Also of interest is Silver's discussion of the city's unique burial practices and the social implications of them (February 7). The 39 sketches, interspersed throughout his letters, show buildings, farms, the streets of New Orleans during Mari Gras, and beaches along the Gulf Coast, as well as portraits. Along with the natural and man-made scenery, Silver drew scenes involving local people of all races, including trips to the market, families, fellow passengers on his railroad journeys, and couples dining in restaurants. Additionally, he sketched different events he witnessed during his travels, such as a man with a gun approaching him, a production of Hamlet that included a severed head, a drunkard being arrested by an African American police officer, a bowler hitting him with a ball, and a cluster of "hackmen" arguing about the price of a ride.

The Philip Bacon papers contain the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Philip Bacon, who served in the 1st and 12th Connecticut infantry regiments during the Civil War. Bacon discussed Civil War-era New Orleans and the difficulties of running a Louisiana plantation during the latter part of the war.

The Philip Bacon papers contain both incoming and outgoing correspondence of Bacon. The collection contains a total of 50 letters, primarily written By Philip Bacon to his father, Richard Bacon; of his letters, he wrote six during his Civil War service, and received nine from various friends from Connecticut. In his letters to family and friends, he described the city of New Orleans shortly after its surrender and gave his opinions on the conduct of the war. On September 17, 1862, he wrote his father, "Mr. Lincoln is to [sic] slow, and at the rate we are now going on it will take twenty years to finish the war. Things look very bad to my mind so far." As the war progressed, Bacon showed a deep interest in the affairs of freedmen, and became an outspoken abolitionist. After he left the service, he focused on his two plantations in Louisiana, especially concerning his need for various farm implements and his initial difficulties growing sugar cane and cotton. Bacon became increasingly involved with the plight of local African Americans, and described their general education (January 12, 1864) and the establishment of various schools for freedmen (April 17, 1864). Other writers include eight of Bacon's Connecticut acquaintances, who discussed politics, a lawsuit (January 21, 1867), and farming.

This collection contains letters that Horace M. Polk and his wife Ophelia wrote to Ophelia's father, Major John Houston Bills. The Polks corresponded about aspects of life in Louisiana from the mid-1850s to the late 1860s, including state and national politics, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

This collection (8 items) contains 6 letters that Horace M. and Ophelia Polk of Bastrop, Louisiana wrote to Ophelia's father, Major John Houston Bills of Bolivar, Tennessee. The collection also contains 2 letters that Bills received from other correspondents.

Horace M. Polk's 4 letters to Bills pertain to state and national political issues such as a Louisiana legislature elections committee and related threats from "thugs" in New Orleans (January 31, 1856); the possible presidential nomination of Stephen Douglas and Polk's preference for Douglas over a "black Republican" (March 7, 1859); and the rise of African Americans in Reconstruction-era Louisiana politics and of Radical Republicans in the U.S. Congress (February 20, 1868). Polk also provided news of the health of his wife and children, commented on plantation crops such as cotton and corn, and mentioned the effects of delayed telegraph news on war excitement in Bastrop (October 11, 1861).

Ophelia Polk wrote 2 letters to her father about her children's health, her husband's political career, and the state of the family's plantation. In her letter of January 27, 1862, she commented on developments in the war, the unreliability of news sent by telegraph, the family's attempts to live frugally, and her fear of running the plantation if her husband were to go to war.

Thomas M. Peters wrote one letter to Bills, in which he reported on the recovery of "Captain Polk" and anticipated a battle between Union forces and Confederate troops in Corinth, Mississippi (April 26, 1862). Another correspondent, M. Polk, wrote to Bills about local election results, black voters, and a stabbing (August 6, 1870).