Samuel O. Chamberlain papers

The 30 Civil War era letters written by Samuel Oscar Chamberlain during his service with the 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry present a picture of the typical experience of a young volunteer in an Ohio regiment. The 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was a good representative unit, having organized at the very start of the war through the efforts of William H. Gibson, who became the Colonel of the Regiment. Oscars letters are full of details of his duties, surroundings, activities of friends and the regiment in general, and observations on the conduct of the war.

The physical letters themselves present an interesting variety of patriotic stationery that were common during the early years of the war, with such motifs as eagles bearing banners inscribed "liberty or death" representations of Liberty, Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other patriotic imagery. The envelopes also displayed this theme, with one example in the collection, from sometime after April 1862, lampooning Confederate General Beauregard.

If there is any weakness in the material it would be in the gaps in the dates of letters, particularly the lack of letters corresponding to some of the significant battles of the 49th, such as Shiloh, Stones River, and Chickamauga. However, these lapses in the chronology are more than compensated for by the wealth of detail of everyday life in the letters. The supplementary material in the collection, such as the Leonard, Kleckner, Vail, and Kiene transcripts and histories of other elements of the 49th and their actions fills in the gaps.

The postwar letters are also of value for the picture they provide of the economic outlook for returning soldiers and also conditions in the south, where Oscar worked for several years. It is interesting to note his observations of life in the South, with concerns for such things as yellow fever, his attempt to start a business producing barrel staves, and interactions with former Confederates.

The minor amount of other personal papers, particularly pension applications and material related to his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic round out the picture of this typical soldier and his life during and after the war.