Guide to the Henry H. B. Chamberlain Papers,
1863-1898

Primarily letters written 1864-1868 by Chamberlain to Mary Jane Field of Bridgeport, Connecticut, whom he married in 1864. Includes detailed letters to her written while he was serving with the New York Volunteers 97th Infantry Regiment and a diary kept from 1863 to 1864 recording his participation in the battles of Pollocks Mill Creek, Va., Petersburg, Va., and Welden Railroad, Va. Also, letters with detailed descriptions of his capture at Gettysburg, his internment at Libby Prison in Richmond, and his subsequent escape and return to action. Letters from after the war, written while he served with Alexander McDowell Cook and the 26th U.S. Infantry on the Texas frontier, include colorful descriptions of military life along the Texas border. Other letters include one written by Chamberlain to his mother; one by Captain Charles F. Dibble to his niece Mary Field (with a postage stamp); and a few to Chamberlain from friends and relatives. Papers include a marriage certificate, commissions, discharge and pension papers of Anson B. Field (probably Mary's brother), a quit claim deed, and probate documents.