Scope and Content Note
The papers of Matthew C. Brown and John C. Brown (d. 1863) span the years 1862-1901, with the bulk of the material dating from 1862 to 1865. The papers consist of correspondence and military records. Matthew and John were two of four sons in the Brown family serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Before entering the war, Matthew had been a carpenter in Des Moines, Iowa, and John a newspaper editor in Lewis, Iowa. Their correspondence contains primarily letters to their parents who lived in Oswego, New York. John C. Brown was killed at the Battle of Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana. As a lieutenant in Company B of the 23rd Iowa Infantry Regiment, Matthew C. Brown kept records regarding clothing, camp equipment, and weapons. The collection includes a history of the regiment by Charles Matthew Brown, Jr., and transcripts of the correspondence.