The bulk of this collection includes diaries and military records of George J. Johnston. Johnston's diaries span three volumes and date from December 14, 1863, to May 20, 1865. The first volume includes a brief summary of his early life; instructions to the person who finds his diary; several poems; lists and doodles; and a drawing and description of the battle at Bean Station. The narrative of the diary begins after he was wounded in the foot at Bean Station, and it describes his travels between various Southern cities and towns as he visits family and friends and extends his furlough several times. In the first volume of the diary he mentions hearing rumors about the Atlanta Campaign from Opelika, Alabama. The volume concludes as Johnston is caught without his furlough papers and is punished with semi-imprisonment in an apartment room.

The second volume of his diary begins August 17, 1864, and continues to describe his confinement. He writes about the weather, his loneliness, rumors of fallen southern cities, his family, and romantic interests. The second volume also includes poetry.

Johnston's third volume includes a second set of instructions concerning the finding of his diary, as well as several more lists and doodles, and a poem. In this narrative, George J. Johnston rejoins his regiment and helps defend Petersburg. He describes the increasingly cold weather which causes some soldiers to freeze to death, as well as the low rations and intermittent enemy attacks.

The collection also includes two furlough papers; his parole; a poem; his Oath of Allegiance to the Union; a proclamation that all the valuables of rebels should be sent to the New Orleans Headquarters Department of the Gulf; a signed note allowing him to move to Opelika; and a letter to Miss Lulu Hilliard from Joseph Walker in 1864. There is also a partial transcription of the first volume of the diary.