This letter was written by Rathwell Wilson in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1866 to Robert E. Lee. In the letter, Wilson explains that he has recently inherited of a scientific library of books from his late brother, Thomas B. Wilson. He expresses his desire to donate a large portion it to various southern institutions of higher learning. He goes on to express his desire for Washington College to be one of the institutions to benefit from his donation. Included in the letter is a list of various monographs which Wilson sent to Washington College. Each title includes the number of volumes which were donated.