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Residents of Pittsfield Township, Washtenaw County, Mich., John Briggs and his sons George and Clark served in the Union army during the American Civil War. John and George volunteered in the Michigan 6th Cavalry while Clark served in the 20th Infantry. The collection consists of approximately 100 letters written by the Briggs between 1862 and 1864 addressed to Mary Briggs, the wife of John and mother of George and Clark. Also, photocopies of George Briggs' military papers and information about the Briggs family.

Approximately 100 letters written by soldiers John, George, and Clark Briggs between 1862 and 1865, constitute the bulk of the collection. The majority are addressed to Mary Briggs, the rest to Van Rensselaer Tyler. Most of the letters are matched with the envelope in which they were originally housed, although a number of letters and envelopes remain unmatched. Other materials include a chronological list and a brief summary of Briggs letters, a list of Briggs family members born between 1794 and 1876, photocopies of George Briggs military papers, and modern-day background biographical information about the Briggs.