Personal letters sent and received by John Archibald Ballard during his army career. Most were sent to his mother and sister while he was serving in the Turkish army during the Crimean War. These include descriptions of the defence of Eupatoria [Yevpatoria] against Russian forces, visits to Balaclava and Sebastopol with descriptions of the sickness among the troops there, meeting Lord Raglan and later campaigns in Anatolia. Also includes a copy of pages from his diary covering July 1850 to September 1850, a copy of arrangements made by his mother to provide for him and his siblings in the event of her death, and a letter from his mother to his brother George on her feelings about John fighting in a war. Some of the letters are copies written by his mother and sister for circulation amongst family.