The collection contains three business letters written by Eckford and Wesson of Mobile, Alabama, to Joseph W. Field, Esq. of Columbus, Mississippi, on the eve of the Civil War. They discuss various topics, such as corn, the icy western rivers and their effect on trade, and the cotton market. The letters assert that the interruption of free trade due to the war would have a major impact on the southern ports and the selling price of cotton. A large portion of the letters discussed the cotton market, the value of cotton in British Sterling, and the need to sell their cotton before the onset of war. The letters, dated January 5, January 7, and January 8, 1861, mention that Fort Morgan, Alabama, was in the possession of the Alabama Volunteers. The collection also contains an envelope posted with a pair of 3 cent George Washington stamps.