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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03836.67 |
| 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 regarding former slaves and plantations abandoned by their owners |
| Date | 29 May 1864 |
| Author | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) |
| Recipient | Moore, Harriet |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | References her letter of 11 May 1864. Says he has heard of the hard fighting by Grant in Virginia. Laments his status as an "Acting Master," saying the government uses the rank to fill a variety of roles at lesser pay. Says they are very isolated and see very few ships. Says "The bark [his ship] lies at the north end of St. Catherine's Island, on which there is a colony of old superannuated negroes and young children. They belonged to the owner of the island and were left here to shift for themselves when he fled the old ones because they were too old and helpless to work, and the young who were then infants because equally useless." Says there are some native Africans among them, one of whom is 109 years old. Says they are happy and content with enough corn, pigs, and poultry to get by. Says the cotton fields of the islands are slowly reverting into thickets and the plantation buildings are "tumbling to ruins." Says it gives him satisfaction to wander the islands and witness the downfall of some of the richest families in the South. Says his principal occupation is hunting on the beach. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Navy Union Forces Union Soldier's Letter Soldier's Letter Women's History Union General Battle Soldier's Pay Refugees African American History Contrabands Slavery Confederate States of America Health and Medical Africa Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Wartime Pillaging and Destruction Cotton Blockade |
| People | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) Moore, Harriet (fl. 1864) |
| Place written | Aboard USS "Fernandina" at St. Catherine's Sound, Georgia |
| 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 "Fernandina" |