David Brainard Griffin Civil War Letters

Sometime around 1790 Samuel Griffin and his wife Mercy Bailey along with their three sons, John, Samuel Jr. and Dan left Killingworth, Connecticut and moved to the newest frontier in New England, Vermont. In Essex, Chittenden, Vermont. Samuel and his three sons carved out very successful farms from the virgin territory. The Griffin brothers all raised large families and maintained generational presences in Chittenden County. There are multiple generation of Griffins buried in a family plot in the Essex Common Burial Ground.---------- As was true in much of New England there came a time when there was not enough farmland available for the next generation. What we see in Vermont is a generation moving west. One of those moving west was David Brainard Griffin who was the grandson of Samuel Jr. David had married his cousin Philinda Minerva Griffin, the granddaughter of Dan Griffin. On the Blog we have documented their journey west. The family eventually settled on homestead land in southern Minnesota. -------- With the coming of the Civil War a patriotic David Brainard joined the 2nd Minnesota Volunteers. His unit served in the western theater of the war. Throughout his service David kept up a weekly correspondence with his family and his beloved “Nerva”. His letters have survived handed down through his descendants. Early in this century they were published to wide acclaim. At one point they were a featured item at the Chickamauga battle site park where he lost his life. I became aware of the existence of the letters some time ago and have been searching for them for sometime. Much to my delight I recently discovered that David’s grandchildren had taken on the task of republishing the letters. They are now available to the public at large. A copy can be purchased on the Internet site, www.Civil-War-Letters.com.----------- I have written articles on a number of the Griffin cousins who served in the Civil War. By no small coincidence studying the Civil War is one of my treasured hobbies. I mention this to preface the statement that I find the letters to be one of the most unique insights into the life of the every day soldier that I have ever read. David’s description of his patriotism is truly remarkable. His description of army life is very rich. His soldier’s view of life in the south and his perspectives on the slaves and slavery is very rare in period letters. There were Griffins cousins from every branch in the Griffin family tree that served in the Civil War. Many lost their lives. David’s letters offer us a truly rare insight into the lives they led while serving.---- Brad Griffin