Collection Guide
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Chase (Warren D.) Papers
mssChasew
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Warren D. Chase papers
Creator:
Chase, Warren D., 1827-1875
Identifier/Call Number: mssChasew
Physical Description:
5.22 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1853-1868
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.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department.
For more information, contact Reader Services.
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.
[Identification of item]. Warren D. Chase papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased by the Library Collector's Council from Michael Brown Rare Books, LLC, January
19, 2020.
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.
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.
The collection was processed by Gayle Richardson in 2020.
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- Kentucky -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865
African American soldiers -- History --
19th century
Fugitive slaves -- Kentucky
Shakers -- New York (State) -- New Lebanon -- History
Slavery -- Kentucky -- History -- 19th century
Kentucky -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865
Nashville (Tenn.)
New Lebanon (N.Y.)
Tennessee -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865
United States -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental
histories -- Wisconsin
United States -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865 -- Women
Wisconsin -- History -- Civil War,
1861-1865
Ephemera -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Pictorial lettersheets -- United States -- 19th century
Clay, Henry, 1777-1852
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh),
1820-1891
Chase, Mary Frances, 1828-
Savage Revolving Firearms Factory (Middletown, Conn.)
United States. Army. Colored
Infantry Regiment, 14th (1863-1866)
United States. Army.
Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, 22nd (1862-1865)
United States. President
(1861-1865 : Lincoln). Emancipation Proclamation