DeLacy and Chamberlain
Joshua Chamberlain - Bowdoin College Library, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives

Joshua Chamberlain - courtesy of Bowdoin College Library, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives

Their relationship began with an act of kindness: one man offered another a drink of water before an attack at Petersburg, VA, in June 1864. On the one hand, they had little in common. One man was a company commander; the other, his new brigade commander. One had little formal education; the other was a professor with several college degrees. On the other hand, they shared a great deal. Both had survived severe contests at Gettysburg the year before. Both had been wounded. Both received the Medal of Honor decades after the war. Both were prominent citizens in their respective communities at home.

Quite a few post-war letters from Patrick DeLacy to Joshua Chamberlain survive – but there’s a mystery behind them. Although in his own correspondence DeLacy refers to Chamberlain’s letters to him, they can’t be found. It’s possible they are in a private collection outside of the family or were destroyed inadvertently by family – or, they simply do not exist. If they do, however, they hold the key to the relationship between two very different men who had survived one of the most horrific periods in American history.

This section includes known correspondence from DeLacy to Chamberlain, as well as Chamberlain’s recommendation for DeLacy’s promotion.


The DeLacy - Chamberlain connection
Reunion of the 143rd Pa. Reg. Asso.

Photo taken at Gettysburg, PA, near the 143rd PA Infantry monument on September 28, 1910 - "Reunion of the 143rd Pa. Reg. Asso.," Courtesy Library of Congress

Reunion of the 143rd Pa. Reg. Asso.

Joshua Chamberlain and Patrick DeLacy, "Reunion of the 143rd Pa. Reg. Asso.," Library of Congress, via Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.com