Letter from Albert B. Chandler to Marilla Stedman, 1863

Albert B. Chandler served as a cipher operator at the War Department office in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. He transmitted coded messages to and decoded messages from Union military field commanders. While at this post, he became acquainted with President Abraham Lincoln. Chandler describes some of his wartime experiences in this letter to Marilla Stedman, his future bride.