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The Cosam T. and William Bartlett family papers contain correspondence related to the Civil War service of several Bartlett family members, who were in the Union Army and Union Navy.

The Cosam T. and William Bartlett family papers contain correspondence related to the Civil War service of several Bartlett family members, who were in the Union Army and Union Navy. Most of the papers relate to Cosam T. Bartlett, including a document authorizing his leave of absence from the 9th New York Cavalry Regiment in October 1861, and several letters regarding his service onboard the Union gunboat Daylight. On August 21, 1862, he requested specific information about pay rates and enlistment policies for the Navy and Marine Corps, and offered his services as a local recruiter. In other letters, he described life onboard the ship. One undated petition, signed by several crew members of the Daylight and the Princeton, is a protest of unhygienic living conditions. An undated letter concerns the peace movement and the justification for conscription. Other material in the collection relates to Cosam's brothers William and York, who served in the Army and Navy, respectively, and wrote to their family of their own experiences. York served on the Brigantine during the war, and William spent time at a hospital recuperating from a wound. Phila, a cousin of the Bartlett brothers, also wrote a detailed letter about contemporary politics regarding the war and about the military (September 8, 1862).