The collection amounts to a copy of The Early Physicians of Vineland, N.J., 40 letters, most written by Henry William Cansdell, and 26 “stock” photographs. The letters are separated into 6 groups. The first group of letters ranges from December 1861 to January 1862 from Camp Harvey Wisconsin while he was in the 3rd Wisconsin Battery. There are 4 letters, all of which are written to his daughter Ellen. All but one of the pages are marked at the top left corner with an image of a soldier on a horse with the words “Liberty and Union, Now and Forever” written in blue, red, and black ink. The top right corner says, “First Wisconsin Cavalry Reg. Company ___ Camp Harvey, ___, 186_ Kenosha, Wisconsin.” in blue ink with spaces left in for soldiers to fill in with the correct information.

The second group contains letters from March through June 1862 from Shiloh and Corinth while he was in the third battery. There are 6 letters and 3 drawings included. There is a map drawn in ink on a torn page with a note scrawled on the other side, another map drawn in ink, and a drawing of tents done in pencil. The letters here are to his daughter Ellen and one page contains one letter written on top of another with the writing being done with the paper horizontally rather than vertically as the first letter had been done. The third group is composed of 4 letters and one hand drawn map, written in July, 1862 from Battle Creek Alabama while in the 3rd Wisconsin Battery. Included are 4 letters and one hand drawn map. The letters are written to his daughters Clara and Ellen, as well as to his wife Lizzie. All of the letters are written on one or two pieces of white paper and are written front to back. One of the letters included is a partial letter. The map is drawn on very soft and fragile brown paper, with the ink bleeding through onto the other side and out blurring the drawing a little.

The fourth group of letters are from January 1863 to April from Vicksburg Campaigns while he was in the 1st Wisconsin Battery. There are 4 letters, 2 orange envelopes addressed to his daughter Ellen, and 1 map drawn in pencil. The letters are written to his daughter Ellen and his wife Lizzie.

The fifth group range from June, 1863 to March, 1864 from Murfreesboro and Nashville Tennessee while he was part of the 22nd Wisconsin Regiment. It is made up of 17 letters. Each letter is written on different sheets of white paper and all are written on black ink. One is a partial letter and seems to be one letter written on top of another one. One of the letters is written on a small scrap of paper and has some scribbles in pencil on it as well. The letters are all written on one or two pieces of paper front to back. They are all written to Ellen, his daughter, or to Lizzie, his wife.

The sixth group is different from the first 5 as it was donated separately and amounts to 5 letters written to Lizzie. Three of them were sent from Henry Cansdell, but the other two were signed off by her sister. The letters from Henry Cansdell are from November 1863. The letters from her sister appear to be from 1870, and are responses to Elizabeth’s earlier letters to her and mention the deaths of others in their community. For all, the paper is yellowed and creased, and the ink has faded, but overall it is in good condition, though still fragile. In his letters he described a lot of his camp life and what was going on. Overall, the letters are legible, though some are more faded than others. The letters range in size, but are fall between 8⅝”x14½” and 5⅛”x7¾.” There are notes on his letters within the collection as well. The copy of The Early Physicians of Vineland, N.J. Compiled was also donated earlier along with the final group of letters. It was published by the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society in 1903. The front and back cover are blue and the inside pages are white. The book is torn on the covers and at the spine and many pages are ripped and fragile. The inside front cover is noted to belong to Ross W. Chatelain, Kalamazoo, Mich. Great Grandson of Henry Wm, Cansdell, M.D. The compilation is 26 pages long and Henry William Cansdell, M.D. is featured on pages 11 and 12, and is a quick biography.

The photographs were once in an album owned by the family that was mostly filled with “stock” photographs of individuals important during the Civil War, which included presidents, lieutenants, generals, major generals, captains, and colonels. The photos are printed on heavy paper material, measure to about 2½”x4,” and are generally in pretty good condition though they are a little yellowed and stained. The photos are all labeled on either the front in ink, the back in pencil, or both.

The collection includes a USB with scanned versions of all the letters and drawings from the first four groups of them.