The letters mainly contain information on camp life, though Stone does mention some raids. There is one letter written in 1862, shortly after Stone joined the regiment in Washington, D.C., while the rest of the letters date from 1864. Two of the letters were written from Camp Parole, Annapolis, Maryland, where Stone was sent while waiting to be exchanged.

Merritt H. Stone was born in Berkshire, Vermont in 1843. He enlisted in the First Cavalry Regiment, Company C on August 25, 1862 as a saddler. He was captured on July 3, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg and was paroled on November 17, 1863. He mustered out on June 21, 1865.