John W. Chambers was born 3 August 1840 in Guyandotte, Ohio; his parents were Robert B. and Rebecca Chambers. The family later moved to Burlington, Iowa.

Chambers enlisted as a private in Company E, 15th Iowa Infantry, at Burlington on 29 August 1862. The regiment was stationed in Memphis, Tennessee, and Louisiana and Mississippi, and took part in the siege of Vicksburg.

Chambers was taken sick with typhoid fever in July 1863 and remained in the regimental hospital until early August. He became ill again at the end of August and was taken to Lawson Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

He died in St. Louis on 21 September 1863. He is buried in Jagger Cemetery, Danville Township, Iowa.

The collection consists of John W. Chambers' diary for 1863. The diary contains brief entries by Chambers detailing his experiences in camp, on marches, and at battle, as well as entries made while in the regimental hospital in July-August 1863. The final entries recording Chambers' illness and death are written in a different hand.

The memoranda pages at the back of the diary include a note about his enlistment and other men who enlisted at the same time. Also at the back of the diary are notes about expenses.