From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Alcorn Collection. Letter from James K. Mulkey to Mississippi Governor James L. Alcorn, requesting to be appointed as a United States Steamboat Detective and offers to work without salary by financing the position with government levied fines. Mulkey explains that the ongoing negligence from steamboat workers and corruption from the inspectors is the reason for many of the steamboat disasters. He believes this can be remedied by taking up this position.

From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Alcorn Collection. Letter from John Butts to R. J. Matthews, explaining that one of his bags had been stolen in Vicksburg, Mississippi, from the porter, and that part of the contents of his bag were found in the possession of John Thomas, who had been convicted of receiving stolen goods. Butts believes that Thomas has made amends for his part in the crime and deserves to be released. Butts also states that he had promised Thomas last year that he would do all that he could to help him but had not had an opportunity to do so.

From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Pettus Collection. Letter from William R. Scott at Wilmington, North Carolina, to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus, enclosing his plans for a steam battering-ram and a report from the Confederate Navy Department. Scott proposes that the ship be built by the state for use against the United States Navy on the Mississippi or Yazoo rivers. (The enclosed plans for a steam battering-ram are mdah_409-397-05. The enclosed Confederate Navy Department report is mdah_409-397-01. This document is one of five documents in Series 409 that discuss William R. Scott's proposed plans for a steam-powered vessel. The other four documents are mdah_409-397-01, mdah_409-397-02, mdah_409-397-04, and mdah_409-397-05).

From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Pettus Collection. Letter from R. M. Hove at Jackson, Mississippi, to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus, concerning B. A. Golden, who was reporting for duty to Pettus as a steamboatman.