The collection is composed chiefly of typescripts for one published and two unpublished books. The typescript for “The Battle of New Orleans” describes much of the background of the War of 1812 as well as the battle itself. The first of the unpublished manuscripts, shorter and more polished in form than the second, describes “The Congressional Lobby: Its First Century.” It presents the Lobby as an institution, and relies on the author's personal experiences as well as on a variety of historical sources.
The final manuscript, “Jeff Davis: Unknown,” is a monumental work of nearly 2000 pages, and appears to have been something of a life-long project with Stahl. It depicts the life and times of Jefferson Davis during the period before he became a prominent national figure, and seems to have been based on an exhaustive survey of available published and manuscript material. Previous accounts of the life of Jefferson Davis employed stories of questionable origin. Stahl attempted to dispel many of the myths and legends surrounding Davis' early life, particularly in reference to his marriages and his activities in the old Northwest, and to present as factual a portrait as possible. Many chapters contain material on early Wisconsin history.
