The Tyson collection comprises a group of five letters, with dated content ranging from 24 February to 5 May 1865, written by the 22-year-old lieutenant to his brother, Carroll Sargent Tyson, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. At the time the letters were written Tyson was serving as navigator on the Connecticut, a side-wheel steamer of 1725 tons. The letters total 36 pages (18 leaves) on 11 individual sheets, mostly folded. The leaves are numbered 1-6 and 8-19; leaf 7 is missing. Taken together, Tyson's letters provide a nearly continuous account of the Connecticut's movements in the Caribbean during these months.