26 October 1781

Jones, Thomas, fl. 1777-1782

Autograph document signed

Title: Return of Military Stores in the Magazine at Williamsburg.

Lists quanties of ordnance. Compiled shortly after the siege of Yorktown. Jones was a Deputy Field Commissary of Military Stores under the command of Colonel Edward Carrington.

GLC02437.01267

28 October 1781

Custine, Adam Philip, Count de, 1740-1793

Autograph document signed

Title: to Henry Knox [Request for supplies].

Signed in text. Duplicate of GLC02437.01268 with an additional note discussing swords and bayonets dated 29 October 1781. Asks Knox to exchange three drums and provide a fourth, and exchange cartridge boxes also. Also mentions that the Major [François-Louis Teissèdre de] Fleury "paid his respects to the general." Colonel Custine led the Régiment de Saintonge, which was selected in 1780 by the Count de Rochambeau to participate in the French expeditionary force to America that aided in the siege of Yorktown. This copy has an additional note discussing swords and bayonets dated 29 October…

GLC02437.01269

6 December 1782

Morris, Robert, 1734-1806

Manuscript document

Title: [Contract between the U.S. Treasury and Comfort, Richard, and Joshua Sands of New York for acquiring rations for West Point soldiers]

Agreement between Morris, acting as Superintendent of the Finances of the United States (appointed by Congress), and Comfort Sands, Richard Sands and Joshua Sands of New York that the Sandses will "furnish and deliver" to West Point and other nearby posts a number of rations of provisions to be determined weekly by the Secretary of War. Provisions include flour, beef or pork, whiskey or rum, salt, and vinegar. Contemporary clerical copy created for Knox's file. Signer of the U.S. Constitution.

GLC02437.01301

August 4, 1819

Brooks, John, 1752-1825

Manuscript document

Title: [Proclamation relating to separation of Maine from Massachusetts]

Marked "Copy." Written in clerical hand and signed by Brooks as Governor of Massachusetts. Co-signature of Alden Bradford, Secretary of the Commonwealth. Proclamation announced after an act was passed on 19 June 1819 which separated Maine from Massachusetts. That act allowed for town meetings on the fourth Monday in July to vote on the question " Is it expedient that the District of Maine shall become a separate and independent State upon the terms and conditions provided in the Act aforesaid?" The 19 June act also stated votes should be returned to the office of the Secretary of the…

GLC03794.01

10 June 1790

Cobb, David, 1748-1830

Document signed

Title: [Petition of Lincoln County, Maine asking permission for a lottery to raise funds]

Petition of inhabitants of Lincoln County, the District of Maine, asking for permission to start a lottery to raise funds to build a bridge over the Eastern River in June 1790. Includes 73 signatures. Marked as being received by the Massachusetts House of Representatives on 10 June 1790. Signed by David Cobb, Speaker of the House. Marked that the petition arrived in the Massachusetts Senate on 11 June 1790 and signed by Samuel Phillips, Jr., President of the Senate. Docket states it was referred to a committee on 24 June 1790. Extensive docketing on the petition.

GLC03794.02

19 August 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he has been occupied in organizing and drilling the crew. Says he has been lucky that every ship he has been on has had good crews. Says he is surprised that the Navy Department still sends seaman to a sailing ship like the "Fernandina" when there are so many new steamers in the fleet. Says the ship is in disrepair. Says he will probably remain idle and not get home for some time. Says he wrote to the admiral about the poor condition of the ship and the response he got said "With reference to the security of the 'Fernandina' in heavy weather, you must use your judgment." Wonders if it is…

GLC03836.71

5 September 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Has been busy surveying St. Catherine's bar, which has been little explored. Describes what he discovered while surveying. Says he discovered a channel into the harbor, so he can quickly secure his ship now. Praises Farragut's actions at Mobile saying "The old sea dog has again shown that 'iron hearts in wooden ships' are as good as iron-clads." Says he has little to do, but is happy with his smart crew. Says he has improved the discipline and management of the ship. Says they land at a plantation to get water and says "the old darkies [are] flourishing." Lists some books he wants. Includes…

GLC03836.72

7 September 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References her previous letter. Says he has been busy surveying St. Catherine's bar. Says he has found a channel. Praises Farragut's recent victories around Mobile. In reference to the 1864 presidential election says "I should certainly go for 'Old Abe.' He is not exactly the man I would choose, but he is an honest and patriotic man and the most decent of all of them ... Fremont I am afraid is nothing but a scheming politician, and as for McClellan I would rather go for Jeff Davis himself." Landing recently he "found things pretty much as we left them[.] The old darkies are flourishing and…

GLC03836.73

19 September 1864

Dahlgren, John Adolphus Bernard, 1809-1870

Letter signed

Title: to Lewis West

Written in a secretarial hand and signed by Rear Admiral John Dahlgren as commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron to Acting Commander West. References West's letter of 12 September. Praises him for finding a channel at St. Catherine's, Georgia. Will send a small steamer to verify the channel and help buoy it. Written while abraod the USS "Philadelphia".

GLC03836.74

25 September 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

References her latest letter. Says he lives in the "usual humdrum manner." Says the ship stays close to shore and he hunts on the beach. Says he has also been fishing. Says he has been praised by Admiral Dahlgren for his discovery of the channel at St. Catherine's. Lauds Farragut's tactics at Mobile. Says most of his crew will be out of the service in several weeks and assumes he will be getting a new batch of "greenhorns." Says he will be in the war until it ends. Asks her to send coffee. Written while aboard the USS "Fernandina".

GLC03836.75

22 October 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Harriet Moore [incomplete]

References receiving her letter of 22 September. Talks about the latest accounts of the elections. Says he is sorry to hear Pennsylvania has probably gone copperhead and that "If she goes for McClellan all I have to say is that I hope the rebels may desolate the state from end to end." Claims that "The men who vote in favor of slavery after the experience of the last few years, are only fit to be slaves themselves, and the sooner they become so, the better." Says New York is the only state to make provisions for sailors to vote and that they received their blank ballots recently. Says 7 on…

GLC03836.76

7 November 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he received coffee, but no letter from her. Says the admiral is not accommodating to the mails, as they sit for weeks at Port Royal. Tells the story of three refugees who said they were from the North. Gave an account of Macon, where they came from. They confirmed the reports of "barbarous treatment" at Andersonville. Says "They saw the place of confinement ... where thousands of men were confined in an open field with no shelter from the weather and lying in mud knee deep." Says such things should make men who say "peace at any price" rethink their ideas. Says the Union is lucky to have…

GLC03836.77

17 November 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary West

References her letter of 17 October. Says he is taking an interest in the election and says "In fact it is the only election that I ever did take any interest in ... since I have turned my attention to politics I am amazed that I was ever anything but a radical abolitionist and it is astonishing how anybody can be anything else, after the charming results of having persisted in sacrificing the right to the expedient for the last 30 years, on the slavery question." Says New York is the only state to give ballots for sailors and that he heard McClellan has a 10 or 11 more votes than Lincoln…

GLC03836.78

25 November 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

Written aboard USS "Fernandina." References her letter of 5 November, noting that it was the first definite news of the election they received, and the first information from the North. Says he heard from two South Carolina deserters that Lincoln won. Writes, "Wasn't it a glorious result! and Pennsylvania redeemed herself too! ... What will become of 'Little Mac' now I wonder? He must feel considerably 'littler' than he ever did before." Declares that the administration has made blunders, but that they have been vindicated for removing "such wretched trash" as McClellan, Buell, and Fitz-…

GLC03836.79

1 December 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says the election turned out alright and that Pennsylvania redeemed herself. Says 2 deserters told him of a sloop with 10 bales of cotton that is trying to run the blockade. He has since been searching for her. Has heard Sherman is 20 miles from Savannah. Says the admiral wants to send sailors on shore to help the army but goes on to say "I dont believe that any amount of drilling will ever make soldiers out of sailors, so as to make them useful in military operations." Says 22 of his 80 men are about to leave as their time in the service is up. Written while aboard the USS "Fernandina".

GLC03836.80

9 December 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

Says there is a northeast gale blowing and that the ship is lying with both its anchors down and all their ordinary occupations suspended. Says it is "peculiarly comfortable and cosy" writing to her in a heavy gale. Says they are all excited for Sherman to appear on the coast. Hears that the Charleston-Savannah railroad has been cut and that he is 40 miles from Savannah. Says he sent a scout boat up the Midway River and discovered there were no pickets on it as is usual. Believes most of the troops are being redirected to Savannah. Says "The sky was lit up brilliantly last night by a very…

GLC03836.81

15 December 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says Sherman has reached the coast. Says they have been expecting him and that they were ordered by the admiral to send boats up to the headwaters to get the latest news. Says he spoke to an officer who met up with some of Sherman troops. The officer reported to him that "The country in their rear is like a desert. On starting, the order was given to 'live on the enemy' and it was carried out to the letter." Goes to describe Sherman's situation in detail. Written while aboard the USS "Fernandina".

GLC03836.82

11 January 1865

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References her previous letter. Says there was excitement when the army first made it to the coast, but that things have gone back to normal since the capture of Savannah. Says the troops have been ordered against plundering in Savannah, but that it continues. Says he knows little of what goes on at home because he has not been there very often the past 4 years. Reports that the 10 bales of cotton on the sloop he was previously searching for have made it past the blockade. Praises Sherman as "the general of the war." Has heard of the defeat at Wilmington. Written while aboard the USS "…

GLC03836.83

13 January 1865

Dahlgren, John Adolphus Bernard, 1809-1870

Letter signed

Title: to Lewis West

Written by Rear Admiral Dahlgren as commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron to Acting Master West as commander of the USS "Fernandina." References West's communication of 2 January. Says "Endeavor to relieve the colored people who were pillaged, and prevent a repetition of the act."

GLC03836.84

26 January 1865

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References receiving her letter of 5 January. Says his Christmas was subdued, but that he did manage to get a turkey for dinner. Says "By the way, was not Sherman's dispatch to the president presenting Savannah as a Christmas gift, a neat thing?" Says the only present he gave this year was "a calico dress to the old darky woman who washes for me and the result is that she wants to send a barrel of peanuts to my mother, in return." Assumes that Sherman is in South Carolina by now. Recommends that her father read "Army & Navy Journal," a weekly journal based in New York, as it is better…

GLC03836.85

24 February 1865

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References her letter of 28 January. Reports that he heard of the news of the fall of Charleston. Says that all the ports into the Confederacy are now closed and that Mexico is the only way to bring goods into the South now. Reports that "The rebel cavalry on the main land are hunting the negroes to drive up the country and have shot some of them. I carried off from the main, the other day a party of eighty of all ages and both sexes. There were some infants a week or two old and some very old people among them." Says he put them on a plantation on St. Catherine's Island and made a raid to…

GLC03836.86

30 March 1865

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Letter

Title: to A. J. Smith

Copy of a letter written by Acting Master West to Smith as 4th Auditor of the Treasury. Wants to know where he can apply to settle his accounts now that his resignation has been accepted.

GLC03836.87

17 May 1866

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Document signed

Title: [Document approving Lewis West as a registered shipmaster under the American Ship Masters' Association]

Marked as number 449. Certificate says West has been registered as an approved shipmaster with the American Ship Masters' Association. Signed by 5 council members of the association. Also signed by 2 examiners, one in nautical science and the other in seamanship, that he passed the tests necessary for registration. Endorsed by the association's secretary on 17 May 1867, seemingly extending his registration for another year. An association stamp over the secretary's name is dated 1 June 1867. Contains 5 small nautical images. Document printed by Snyder, Black & Sturn at 92 William Street,…

GLC03836.88

1861-1865

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Map

Title: [Map of southern tip of Florida and the Bahama Islands]

Hand drawn map of the southern tip of Florida and various islands in the Bahamas chain. Marks currents and their speed. Also notes where important lighthouses are located. The Great Bahama Bank and the Salt Bay Bank are demarcated. In both pencil and pen.

GLC03836.89

3 April

Autograph letter

Title: to Elizabeth

Makes reference to a shopping trip for clothes in New York. Mentions various people and placed visited. Tells of going to several theatrical shows. Dated 3 April but with no year.

GLC03836.90