Branch Family Letters

The Battle of Atlanta was a small part of the Atlanta Campaign that went on During the American Civil War. It was fought between the Union and the Confederate troops on July 22, 1864. This artifact is consisted of several papers of the Branch Family during this time. The letters are dated as well as some addressed specifically to the receiver and signed by the sender. This allows us to put context and setting around what was going on in this period of time. The Branch Family lived in the heart of Savannah, Georgia between 1830-1961. The letters that are in this collection mainly consist of ones between Charlotte Sawyer Branch and both of her sons. Her sons, John L. Sanford and Hamilton McDevil Branch, both served in the 8^th Georgia Infantry Regiment. The style of the letters is mainly “reports” from the sons. They are located at Camp Berrien in the first exchange of letters up until they are reunited in May 1861. He talks in almost military code in the letters due to the fact that the letters could get in the wrong hands at any given time. The letters go on to share information about Harpers Ferry all the way to Manassas. The letters also give details about the 1^st Battle of the Bull Run, which was part of the Atlanta Campaign. One letter describes the death of John from the brother’s perspective. In The Atlanta Campaign of 1864: A New Look, By Richard McMurry, it discusses forms of communication. Writing letters was the only was to stay in touch with family and allow them any information about what their soldiers were experiencing. These are what the Branch Family Letters do. They give an inside look at the emotions on both sides of the war.

Source: Branch family papers. MS 25. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.