Major Charles Chipman (1830–1864)

Before he became a Union officer, Charles Chipman worked as a machinist at the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, the industry that transformed Sandwich into one of America's leading glassmaking centers.

Chipman began his military service as captain of Company D, organized in Sandwich as part of the 29th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. His leadership earned him a promotion to Major in 1861, and in June 1864 he was transferred to the 14th New York Heavy Artillery, a regiment heavily engaged in the fighting around Petersburg, Virginia.

On August 8, 1864, Major Chipman was killed in action during the Siege of Petersburg, one of the longest and most decisive campaigns of the Civil War. The Union victory there helped bring about the fall of Richmond and, months later, the surrender of Confederate forces at Appomattox.

Chipman was the highest-ranking officer from Sandwich to lose his life in the Civil War, and his sacrifice was not forgotten. When local veterans established their Grand Army of the Republic post after the war, they named it Charles Chipman Post No. 164, ensuring that his service would be remembered by future generations.

As we commemorate America's 250th anniversary, this portrait reminds us that the Civil War was fought not only by professional soldiers but by ordinary Americans—glassworkers, farmers, merchants, teachers, and craftsmen—whose lives were forever changed by the conflict.