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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03836.56 |
| From Archive Folder | Correspondence of 90 letters and documents with 3 maps on the blockade of Port Royal, South Carolina |
| Title | Gideon Welles to Lewis West with orders that West is now detached from the USS "Ladona" and that he is to proceed to New York without delay |
| Date | 24 September 1863 |
| Author | Welles, Gideon (1802-1878) |
| Recipient | West, Lewis H. |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Printed document signed by Welles. Orders that West is now detached from the USS "Ladona" and that he is to proceed to New York without delay. He is to report to Rear Admiral Paulding for passage to Charleston, South Carolina and to report to Rear Admiral Dahlgren for duty on an ironclad under his command. Stamp dated 28 September says West was paid 9 dollars in mileage fees. Countersigned by Rear Admiral Hiram Paulding. He noted that West reported for duty on 28 September. Commodore Cornelius Kinchilo Stribling had served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War before the Civil War. Verso is endorsed by Stribling, Dahlgren and Captain Stephen Rowan of the USS "New Ironsides." It says West reported for duty in Charleston on 5 October. |
| Subjects | Lincoln's Cabinet Government and Civics Military History Navy Union Forces Union General Ironclad Travel Soldier's Pay Finance Civil War |
| People | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) Welles, Gideon (1802-1878) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Naval & Maritime |
| 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 "Ladona" |