Warren D. Chase papers, 1853-1868

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Summary

Creators:
Chase, Warren D., 1827-1875
Abstract:
A collection of the correspondence of Warren D. Chase, private of Company H of the 22nd Wisconsin Infantry and a former member of the New Lebanon ministry of the United Society of Believers of Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers. The majority of the letters are addressed to his wife, Mary Frances Chase, during the years of the American Civil War.
Extent:
5.22 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Warren D. Chase papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists almost entirely of correspondence by Warren D. Chase and the materials date from 1853 through 1868; the majority of the letters are addressed to Mary Frances Chase with a small number of letters written by Mary Frances, family members, friends and government officials. There are also a few letters to and from former Shakers which detail life in the Shaker faith and the lives of those, like Warren and Mary, who left the Shaker communities as adults.

The letters by Warren Chase contain vivid descriptions of life as a soldier, the cities and countryside he passed through, and his thoughts on the war. He despaired of ever returning home to Wisconsin but felt the war was for a just cause and worth his sacrifices. The letters also describe medical care during the war, the treatment of fugitive slaves, and the mundane job of a clerk even during a time of war.

Biographical / historical:

Warren D. Chase (1827-1875), former Shaker and Civil War soldier. Warren was raised in the Shaker community of New Lebanon, New York, where he trained as an herbalist and worked in the community's medical department. On February 2, 1853, Chase left the Shaker community in order to marry Mary Frances Crocker, a young woman who had also grown up in the Shaker faith; together they had one son, Charlie. By 1861, the Chases were living in Rochester, Racine County, Wisconsin. In September 1862, Warren enlisted in the 22nd Regiment of Wisconsin Infantry and left for Kentucky and Tennessee.

In January 1863, Chase suffered an attack of rheumatic fever and ended up in Hospital No. 13, Nashville, Tennessee; after regaining his health he remained at the hospital as a clerk for several months. In January 1864, unable to rejoin his regiment, Chase served as a clerk with the newly organized 14th Regiment of Colored Infantry. He caught up with the 22nd Wisconsin in July 1864 and spent the next 10 months fighting with William T. Sherman in Georgia and the Carolinas. After the Civil War, he clerked at the War Department in Washington, D.C. and did not return home to Wisconsin until 1868; Chase died in 1875 at the age of 48.

Acquisition information:
Purchased by the Library Collector's Council from Michael Brown Rare Books, LLC, January 19, 2020.
Processing information:

The collection was processed by Gayle Richardson in 2020.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Warren D. Chase papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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