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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03836.10 |
| 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 regarding the Battle of Bull Run |
| Date | 22 July 1861 |
| Author | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) |
| Recipient | West, R |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Says they arrived in the Navy Yard at Washington the night before after being towed up the Potomac River. As they came up the river they heard "furious cannonading which never ceased until after our arrival at the city and learned that a desperate battle was going on at Bull's Run about 30 miles distant." Says they suddenly received an order from Captain Dahlgren to get underway at once and proceed to Alexandria. A steamer was pulling the brig as fast as it could and they speculated that the army lost and that they were needed to protect the town from a Confederate attack or to keep it "being sacked by our own troops in case they were disorganized." Says they heard of the defeat once they arrived, but that the troops later rallied. Later heard that a Union division had turned an enemy's position and "God grant that it may prove correct but I have many doubts. The only thing certain is that a great battle has been fought." Appears to be an incomplete letter because the letter was torn at the fold and has no signature. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Navy Union Forces Union Soldier's Letter Soldier's Letter Washington, D.C. Battle Battle of Bull Run Confederate States of America Wartime Pillaging and Destruction Artillery Union General |
| People | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) West, R. (fl. 1860-1865) |
| 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: Recipient Relationship | Mother |
| Civil War: Theater of War | Main Eastern Theater |
| Civil War: Unit | USS "Perry" |