Most of the collection consists of letters from John D. Twiggs to his wife, Sarah Eugenia Rambo Twiggs during the period 1862-1864. Almost all these letters have rough transcriptions of them in the Papers. In addition to descriptions of camp life, discussions of news from home, and providing news about individuals from the Edgefield District serving in the army, the letters relate some of his battlefield experiences. He describes several battles that took place in Virginia, such as the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862; the Battles of Second Brandy Station and Culpeper Court House in 1863; and the fighting that occurred in October-November 1863 during the Bristoe campaign, including the “Buckland Races” (Battle of Buckland Mills). He also describes the Battle of Chapman’s Fort in South Carolina in 1864.

There are two letters and one telegram to Twiggs in the collection including a letter from Confederate General Wade Hampton expressing regret over the 1st South Carolina Cavalry being transferred out of his command. There is also an undated account by Twiggs of his encounter with a South Carolina “wild cat.” In addition, the collection contains a color photograph of a painting of Twiggs and a printed copy of a photograph of Hampton.

The collection is useful to researchers interested in military life in the Civil War era, the operations of the 1st South Carolina Cavalry Regiment, and the aforementioned engagements.