Read the incredible story of the man behind the Chatfield Dam and Chatfield State Park in Littleton, Colorado. Featured at the Littleton Historical Museum,  the Chatfield family is celebrated in Colorado, but until now, Chatfield's amazing story of survival has never been told.

Edward Livingston Chatfield's story is currently being finalized. Once printed, it will be available for purchase on this website. You can also find this spellbinding book at Amazon.com and bookstores throughout the country, a "must read"  for those who enjoy factual Civil War history. 

A story built upon his war letters and diaries, Chatfield's life as a Union private unfolds in the "Western Theater" of the Civil War, a story presented from a northern farmer's point of view -- always a keen eye on the soil conditions, the weather, and the height of the crops.

Chatfield enlisted at the Kankakee Fairgrounds on August 5, 1862, training there until transferred to Camp Hancock (by Camp Douglas, Chicago) to be mustered into Company "B" of the 113^th Illinois Volunteers and march with General Sherman's Right Wing of Grant's army. His letters guide us to most of the well known and pivotal sites of the Western Theater: 

Chatfield's impressive and improbable story has never been told. He was a remarkable man who lived an extraordinary life, and his story is important to a broad variety of readers, "grist" to chew on and enjoy.

· Ohio readers in Geauga County -- the eastern portion of the Connecticut Western Reserve, will know that Ohio is rich in Chatfield history. The Chatfield Story begins in the farm country of the Middlefield Township in 1842, Edward's place of birth, and moves forward from there, a fascinating account of a boy who's parents were Middlefield pioneers.

· Illinois readers in Kankakee may find this book hard to put down, the cradle for many men in this book, Company "B" of the 113^th Illinois almost exclusively filled from your area, your original fairground their first place of training and your historic train station their point of war's departure. If you've lived in the community for a long time, you are likely to recognize many names and experience some level of closure by discovering what became of them.

· Colorado readers in the Littleton and Denver areas will enjoy this detailed story about the man behind the name -- a Chatfield for Coloradoans to admire, his qualities defined by the perilous series of war challenges he somehow survived and the contributions he would subsequently make helping Littleton to thrive.
 
· "Western Theater" Civil War site visitors are likely to find this book especially rewarding.

· Civil War experts -- teachers, historians, Round Table enthusiasts, reenactors now have one more important resource to treasure and share with others, the stirring story of a young private who overcame the odds, survived incredible hardships, and went on to help establish an important Colorado community. We hope that the Chatfield Story will become an important addition to your collection of Civil War references.

· Family study experts -- sociologists, psychologists and specialists interested in the evolution of family customs may find Chatfield's letters a useful baseline for comparison to other ages, a snippet of behavior representative of a northern farm boy in the 1860's, a time of national turmoil.

· Descendents of the "boys" in Company "B" simply must read this book. Chatfield called his friends "the boys, " but, of course, they were really men. It might sound a little silly or presumptuous, but we think Chatfield would want you to read this book. He made a special point of writing about "the boys" he marched with. Most were in Company "B" of the 113^th Illinois, some in other companies, and a few were in other regiments. Regardless, we research every name he mentioned, presented the particulars in our narrative, and referenced the name in our index, easy for you to locate. We dearly hope that this is the book you have been looking for.

· Chatfield's relatives will want to read this book. You may be related to him. Although his "line" came to an end when his only daughter died, the lines of four of his six siblings thrive through this very day: William, Newton, James, and Mary all had kids -- a bundle of them. The numbers add up pretty quick over 150 years. If you find a connection, let us know. After all, you're family!

Picture credits: Chatfield Family Album photos, including those of John Fundy and Albert Smith,  are from our personal family album. The photo of Riley Beach came from: Compendium of History, Reminiscence and Biography of Western Nebraska , Chicago, Alden Publishing Co., 1909, courtesy of Lee and Curt Eakin. The Civil War sketches are from Frank Leslie's work, The Soldier in Our Civil War, 1894 Edition.