John Berryman Crawford was the great grandfather of the donor and the son of Robert Crawford, one of the pioneer settlers of Wayne County. He served as a member of the Jasper Grays, 16th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, the only Mississippi regiment to participate in the Shenandoah Campaign under Stonewall Jackson. He was killed May 12, 1864, at the Battle of Bloody Angle in the Wilderness Campaign. The Crawford letters consist of thirty items written by John Berryman Crawford to his wife, Martha A. Crawford, and his children: Francis V., Laura P., Thomas C., and Josephine. Two letters written in April 1863 are illegible. The letters from April 12, 1863 to July 8, 1863, were written from different camps and two battlefields, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Maryland. They deal with domestic matters. The letters from July 16, 1863, to October 1863 are written from General Hospital Howard Grove, Richmond, Virginia. When Crawford first arrived, he was seriously ill, but recovered.

These letters are composed of thoughts of dying and hopes of seeing his family again. The letters from November 7, 1863, to March 18, 1864, were written from Camp Baker and Camp Rapidan. These letters note how bloody the battles had been and mention sending money home.

Series: 1. Correspondence. 1863–64. 30 items.