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In this letter to Christopher Arms, Rudolphus Dickenson tells his friend of an incident involving both violence and mischief that occurred while he was attending Yale. This type of rowdy (and sometimes dangerous) behavior was common in the world of the college undergraduate in the early republic. Dickenson also reports on hearing news of the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, remarking that Hamilton was the greatest "law character" in America. It is interesting to note that the two political parties celebrated the Fourth of July separately, rather than jointly. Dickenson's reference to the navy of the Isle of Deerfield must be a private joke.

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