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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03836.01 |
| 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 R. West [incomplete] describing a visit to China |
| Date | 7 November 1860 |
| Author | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) |
| Recipient | West, R |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Says he arrived in Foochow on 26 October after a 14 day voyage from Hong Kong. Ran into a northeast monsoon along the way. Says "Foochow is one of the few places I have never visited before on the coast of China." Goes on to describe the city, saying it only recently became an important city in the tea trade and that the Min River, which empties at Foochow, is very dangerous. Says the first thing he did upon arriving in port was a "regular house cleaning," and says the ship now looks like "a pretty girl rigged up for a ball, the handsomest craft, here!" Has taken on 200 tons of tea after removing the ballast and expects to take on 500 more. Says the ship only carries 1100-1200 pounds and that he will probably leave for New York in 10 or 12 days -- a trip which will take 100-110 days. Page marked 1B, which appears to be connected to the first four pages, says he has a fever, but not to worry. |
| Subjects | Asia Global History and Civics Travel Extreme Weather Maritime Merchants and Trade Commerce Health and Medical Diet and Nutrition Children and Family |
| People | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) West, R. (fl. 1860-1865) |
| Place written | Foochow, China |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Naval & Maritime; Merchants & Commerce |
| 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: Recipient Relationship | Mother |
| Civil War: Unit | USS "Perry" |