Repost for Memorial Day: A soldier's story

An Andover Story by Barbara Bunn, originally posted May 25, 2020

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Honoring A Soldier Named Henry Flint Chandler

Henry Flint Chandler, Andover Civil War Veteran

Henry Chandler grew up in Andover on a farm that is now the site of the Andover Country Club. His father was Joshua Chandler and his mother was Eliza Flint. The family home is located at 3 Crenshaw Lane (formerly 59 Chandler Circle).

Henry was born September 26, 1835. He had two sisters and two brothers. His oldest brother, Joshua Herbert, inherited the Chandler farm. Henry went to school at the West Centre District School, and had a job as a clerk.

During the Civil War, Henry enlisted as a Private with Company F, 59th Massachusetts Infantry on December 8, 1863. He was 28 years old. He reenlisted on April 21, 1864.

Henry was wounded at the Second Battle of Petersburg in Virginia on June 17, 1864. Though seriously wounded in a bayonet charge and directed to go to the rear, he declined to do so and remained with his regiment to help carry the breastworks.

Breastworks fortifications, Battle of Petersburg, Virginia (photo HistoryNet.com)

Henry rose to the rank of Sergeant and received a disability discharge on June 8, 1865. On March 30, 1898, he was awarded the Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor for his action during the battle at Petersburg, Virginia.

Henry returned to Andover married, raised a family and became a provisions dealer in Lawrence, MA. Henry died on November 16, 1906 and is interred at the West Parish Garden Cemetery.  

Henry is honored on one of the two memorial plaques in Memorial Hall Library, dedicated on May 30, 1873. Above the front door of the Library is the inscription “Lest We Forget.”

Memorial Hall Library is just one of the many Memorials that can be found throughout the Town of Andover to honor the men and women who served their country.

Where are these Memorials located?

The Veterans Services has created a walking tour of 10 of these Memorials. To learn about this walking tour, or to enjoy this tour from the comfort of your home, go to the Andover Veterans Services webpage and click on Memorials.

You can learn more about Memorial Hall on our Andover Stories page on the History Center website. You can learn more about Andover in the Civil War and read more veterans’ stories on our Lest We Forget website.

This Memorial Day, 2020, is very different and we can’t gather to honor our veterans. But it is important to remember the men and women who served our country with honor just as the Memorial Hall Library does with the saying “Lest We Forget.”

Thank you for reading! May 25, 2020, Barbara Bunn wrote this piece in honor of Henry F. Chandler, her great great uncle and his brother, Joshua, her great great grandfather.

Do you have plans to attend a Memorial Day event? Leave us a comment!