Valley of the Shadow
The War Years
Spring 1861–Spring 1865

Letters & Diaries

letters

Brooks Family (1861-1863)

Before the war, the Brooks brothers of Waynesboro, Virginia—Charles, William, Andrew, and Moffett—studied at Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. When the war began, they joined the Liberty Hall Volunteers, a company that consisted primarily of other students. The members of the Liberty Hall Volunteers were incorporated into the 4th Virginia Infantry, a regiment of the Stonewall Brigade. Three of the Brooks brothers died in service, William in 1861, Moffett in 1862, and Andrew in 1863. Only Charles lived to witness the end of the war.


The following links provide access to the most likely matches in the Valley of the Shadow databases:

Charles Brooks

Military Records


This collection contains letters (1861-1863) written by the four Brooks brothers of Waynesboro, Virginia. Their letters home to their mother, Eleanor Stuart Brooks, to their father, James Brooks, to their sister, Mary Susan Brooks, and to their brother, Emmet, describe their participation in battles throughout Virginia. Letters to the family from soldiers James White and Schyler Trible report on the casualties suffered by the brothers.