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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03836.86 |
| From Archive Folder | Correspondence of 90 letters and documents with 3 maps on the blockade of Port Royal, South Carolina |
| Title | Lewis H West to Harriet Moore reporting that he heard the news of the fall of Charleston |
| Date | 24 February 1865 |
| Author | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) |
| Recipient | Moore, Harriet |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | References her letter of 28 January. Reports that he heard of the news of the fall of Charleston. Says that all the ports into the Confederacy are now closed and that Mexico is the only way to bring goods into the South now. Reports that "The rebel cavalry on the main land are hunting the negroes to drive up the country and have shot some of them. I carried off from the main, the other day a party of eighty of all ages and both sexes. There were some infants a week or two old and some very old people among them." Says he put them on a plantation on St. Catherine's Island and made a raid to give them corn, furniture, and farming and cooking utensils. Says he heard the people he robbed "had been trying to run the darkies up the country to sell, and moreover were so foolish as to run away and leave their houses." Says he was gratified to help the former slaves in this way. Says gunboats at other stations are also picking up the contrabands and bringing them to the sea islands for safety. Mentions seeing Sherman's order to provide for the former slaves and feels like he did the right thing taking some of them to the islands. Hopes to get home quickly as his 80 year old father's health is feeble. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Navy Union Forces Union Soldier's Letter Soldier's Letter Blockade Battle Confederate States of America Commerce Merchants and Trade Latin and South America Global History and Civics Refugees Cavalry African American History Contrabands Death Slavery Children and Family Women's History Home Furnishings Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Charity and Philanthropy Wartime Pillaging and Destruction Slave Sale Union General Health and Medical |
| People | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) Moore, Harriet (fl. 1864) Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891) |
| Place written | Aboard USS "Fernandina" at St. Catherine's, Georgia |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Slavery & Abolition |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | West was a Union naval officer in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, mostly serving off South Carolina and Georgia. This collection begins with three documents from West's service on a merchant marine ship off China. He served on the USS "Perry" April-August 1861, the USS "Wabash" August-October 1861, the USS "Alabama" October 1861-October 1862, the USS "Ladona" (also spelled Lodona) October 1862-August 1863, the USS "New Ironsides" October 1863-April 1864, and the USS "Fernandina" April 1864-March 1865. Had the rank of Masters Mate from April-August 1861 and then served the rest of the war as an Acting Master. Letters detail the tedium of life in the blockade, coming across runaway slaves and contrabands, as well as several run-ins with Confederate submarines. Three hand drawn maps are at .27, .68, and .89. Most of the letters are to his mother (her initials are RW and she resides at 1316 Walnut Street in Philadelphia - West addresses his letters to her as "Mrs. James West"), sister (Mary), and someone who appears to be West's brother-in-law (Weir). He begins to write a woman he seems to be romantically interested in named Harriet Moore in 1864. From a reference at .63, West was born in 1829. He might have been living in New York before the war, but he definitely resides there after the war. About half the letters have an envelope. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Civil War: Theater of War | Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach |
| Civil War: Unit | USS "Fernandina" |