This collection contains five letters received by C. (Cyrus) Henry Merrick, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War. Among the letters are three from Merrick's brother Spencer, written at Lancaster and Worcester, Massachusetts. On September 14, 1862, Spencer Merrick expresses regret for being in comfort at home during the war, discusses the war's significance to future generations, and comments on the prospect of Confederate troops invading Pennsylvania. On January 11, 1864, he writes of local communities meeting their Union Army recruitment quotas and expresses hope that the war would soon end. In his letter of February 26, 1864, Merrick boasts of Lancaster's record in supporting the war with recruits, donations of supplies and money, and bounties. Writing while on picket (probably near Hagerstown, Maryland) on October 10, 1862, Edward E. Clapp (Company F, 155th Pennsylvania Infantry) mentions such incidents of camp life as lice and military drills. He recounts the means by which he hired a cook--an "octroon," according to Clapp--for his mess and writes at length about food and drink. Clapp mentions the camp sutler and lists the many goods available for purchase, then provides news of several individuals in his company. A letter from Sarah E. Whittier, written while visiting friends in North Vienna, Maine, on July 31, 1864, thanks Merrick for details relating to the recent battlefield death of her brother (probably Edward E. Clapp, who was killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 8). Each letter is accompanied by an envelope.