The University of Michigan’s William L. Clements Library has acquired an archive of 192 original sermons written between 1765 and 1780 by a Revolutionary War chaplain. The 2000-page handwritten collection forms a significant corpus of religious writing.
Reverend Joseph Bowman’s sermons were delivered to Continental soldiers during the siege of Boston. Particularly of note are sermons Bowman delivered to the army in July 1775 and February 1776, during the early stages of the War for Independence.
These examples of sermons to Continental troops, along with a 1777 address for men departing “into ye service of ye Country,” offer insight into the moral, spiritual, and political world of Revolutionary-era New England.
Born in 1734, Bowman was a Harvard-trained congregationalist who served in Oxford, Massachusetts, and was a military chaplain in the Patriot cause. Bowman remained the minister of First Congregational Church in Oxford throughout the duration of the Revolutionary War.
“The Joseph Bowman sermons provide an unpublished wealth of information about the spiritual and temporal guidance given by a small-town Massachusetts minister over the course of multiple decades in the 18th century,” said
Cheney Schopieray, curator of manuscripts at the Clements Library. The availability of Bowman’s sermons will have an impact on the scholarly research by helping researchers examine the relationship between religion and revolution in what would become the United States. “They will offer scholars a unique window through which to view social, religious, and ideological changes over time in the decade leading up to and during the American Revolution,” Schopieray said.
Paul Erickson, the Randolph G. Adams director at the library, was contacted about the collection by a Massachusetts-based dealer in rare books and manuscripts in April. “We jumped at the chance to acquire it,” Erickson said. “It’s very unusual to have the chance to acquire an intact collection of this size from the Colonial era as collections often get broken up and dispersed over time. It’s even more rare to have an opportunity to find a collection from a Revolutionary War chaplain.”
When historic materials are up for sale, it is not uncommon for purchase of the item to happen before the money can be raised. As such, the Clements Library is embarking on a campaign to raise $40,000 for the collection’s acquisition. To donate, visit the website (www.tinyurl.com/h34yfpen). The Clements Library Board of Governors has offered a 1:1 match, doubling the impact of each donation to the campaign.
Originally published in the October 2026 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2026 Maine Antique Digest
