The paper contained poetry, humor, war news, current events, local news, lists of those in the hospital, and fiction—including a number of pieces about President Abraham Lincoln—among other topics. It served as a way for those recuperating at the hospital to maintain a connection with the world around them. Many patients would send clippings of the paper to their friends and family as ways of keeping them informed. It was also a political instrument, which derided the copperhead—anti-war Democrats—as "a professional growler" and complainer, and called for increased political violence against Southerners in the war.
