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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03836.51 |
| 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 being given command of the "Ladona" |
| Date | 9 July 1863 |
| Author | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) |
| Recipient | West, R |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Signed twice by West. Was given command of the "Ladona" 3 or 4 days previously, as Captain Calhoun was told to take command of the "Weehawken" very suddenly. Was happy for his captain's new opportunity, but sorry to see him leave the "Ladona." Says the crew gave Calhoun three cheers and that some even wept. Received orders the next day to go to Port Royal to tow an ironclad to Charleston. Head winds kept him from towing the ironclad and instead he delivered supplies to the blockading fleet. Says an attack on Charleston probably commenced today, but that this time it will be a siege. Says "If we get Charleston and Vicksburgh, I am perfectly willing to let them have Harrisburgh or even Philadelphia for a while, which by all accounts they seem likely to do." Says it seems that men are turning out in the numbers needed to meet the emergency in Pennsylvania and wonders why the women have not pushed them. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Navy Union Forces Union Soldier's Letter Soldier's Letter Ironclad Blockade Military Supplies Battle Recruitment Women's History |
| People | West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) |
| Place written | Aboard USS "Ladona" at Port Royal, South Carolina |
| 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 | Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach |
| Civil War: Unit | USS "Ladona" |