The Broach family lived in Person County, North Carolina. The head of the family, Richard Broach, Sr. was born in Virginia ca. 1787. His wife, Lucy, was born in NC ca. 1795. At the time of the 1860 census, they had eight grown children living at home. Three sons, Richard Jr. (b. ca. 1830), Pleasant (b. ca. 1833), and John (b. ca. 1829) served as privates in Co. A, 50th NC. Inf. Another son, Vincent, served as a private in Co. D, 13th North Carolina Infantry. Two of the letters were written by Pleasant Broach while he was in the army, one to his father and one to his older brother, James G. Broach (b. ca. 1816), who remained at home on the family farm.The first letter is written by another brother, Augustin, about whom little can be learned except that he moved to Arkansas before the beginning of the war.