James J. Archer was a Maryland lawyer and officer in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. This collection contains two decades of correspondence between Archer and his family and includes descriptions of Archer's life during wartime and his experiences as a prisoner of war prior to his death (1864-1865). Also included in the collection is various correspondence between other Archer family members.

This collection connsists of extensive military correspondence of General Robert C. Buchanan, as well as some personal correspondence, circa 1811-1890.