Francis Patrick and his wife, Jane, were both born in England ca. 1830. It is not known when Francis Patrick immigrated to the U.S., but in 1860 Francis and Jane were living on their farm at Westmorland, Oneida County, New York with their two-year-old daughter, Mary Jane (b. in NY). Francis Patrick enlisted in Co. A, 2nd New York Heavy Artillery on January 2, 1864 and was wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864. The letters in this collection were written to his wife after he returned to service. Francis Patrick mustered out with his company in September 1865. It is not known when he died, but it was some time before the Federal Census of 1880.