This is a collection of over fifty civil war letters written by Harry Brown to his wife from August 1861 through September 1862.

This collection consists primarily of letters that John Watkins, then serving with the 19th Ohio Light Artillery, wrote to his fiancee, Sarah Probert, and other family members. In them, he discusses his experiences in the Civil War, including his unit's participation in the East Tennessee Campaign and the Battle of Fort Sanders. Also included are family diaries, photographs, and account books.

This collection houses a diary documenting Josiah Reed's service in the Civil War, a letter requesting an additional bounty for his service, and a sermon that was delivered at his burial.

The bulk of this collection houses correspondence between Sarah (Probert) Watkins and family and friends living in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois between 1865 and 1905. Other letters were written to and from George Probert and other members of the Probert family.

In this letter, Brownlow reports that he has just returned to Cincinnati (where he lived while in exile from East Tennessee) from Louisville and Frankfort. He also mentions that he has been sick with a bilious attack and states that he has received about twenty tickets in response to our letters.