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This collection contains 21 letters and a 3-page journal concerning Hiram Talbert Holt's experiences in the 2nd and 38th Alabama Infantry Regiments during the Civil War. In letters to his wife Carrie, Holt discussed military life, war news, his religious convictions, and his feelings for his absent wife and daughter.

This collection contains 21 letters and a 3-page journal concerning Hiram Talbert Holt's experiences in the 2nd and 38th Alabama Infantry Regiments from April 19, 1861-February 17, 1864. Most items are Holt's letters to his wife Carrie; he also wrote once to his mother- and father-in law, Charlotte and Lewis L. Dewitt (July 18, 1863), and once to his sisters-in-law, Harriet and Drucilla Dewitt (July 19, 1863).

From April-December 1861, Holt, who signed his letters "Talbert," discussed life at Fort Morgan, Alabama. He reflected on his separation from Caroline ("Carrie") and their daughter Alma and shared his desire to visit home on furlough. Holt reported on casualties from illness and also commented on troop movements and the Southern cause. Two letters from April 1862 concern his experiences during the bombardment of Fort Pillow in Tennessee. After returning to Mobile, Alabama, in May 1862, Holt mentioned the Siege of Corinth and expressed regrets that his unit would likely not be able to participate. He was later stationed in Tennessee and Georgia, where he commented on war news, anticipated the defeat of George McClellan's army, reflected on the death of his brother John in Virginia, and discussed his newborn daughter. Throughout the correspondence, Holt expressed his Christian beliefs.

Holt's undated journal pertains to military drills, his health, and a religious service (June 1-3).