4 May 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary West

Writes to his sister. Says nothing has occurred since the battle at Charleston except their capture of a schooner at Bull's Bay. In frustration says "I have now given up all hope of the Ladona ever doing anything. She is now so covered with grass and barnacles, as to reduce her speed, never great, to five knots an hour, under the most favorable circumstances, and when the wind is ahead, to three." Says the per annum pay of the crew of the ship is $88,000 and that the money might as well be thrown overboard. Says they have given up chasing steamers and only make captures "by vessels running…

GLC03836.47

29 May 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he has not written because he has been busy with the absence of Mr. Carr and the discharge of their master at arms, both of whose duties he has to see to. Says the blockade is as bad as it has usually been, with ships running it every day. Says the navy needs double the amount of vessels and a more energetic commanding officer. Tells of talking to a captured British captain who ran the blockade 20 times. Says the blockading fleet is suffering from "The ram fever," as ramming ships are everywhere. References a letter from his sister Mary from 23 April. Written while aboard the USS "…

GLC03836.48

7 July 1863

Rowan, Stephen Clegg, 1805-1890

Document signed

Title: to Lewis H. West

Document written in secretarial hand and signed by Captain Rowan of the USS "New Ironsides" to West as the commander of the USS "Ladona," ordering him to proceed at once to Port Royal, South Carolina to tow one of the ironsides to Charleston. Also signed by William Reynolds (signature is sloppy and spelling might be different) as "commander and senior officer," possibly of the squadron at Port Royal, who noted that the "Ladona" reported to Port Royal on 8 July. West was given command of the "Ladona" a few days previously when his captain was sent to take command of the "Weehawken" (see…

GLC03836.49

8 July 1863

Reynolds, William, 1815-1879

Document signed

Title: to Lewis H. West

Document in secretarial hand and signed by Reynolds (the signature is sloppy and the spelling might be different) as "Commander & Senior Officer," possibly of a squadron of ships at Port Royal, written to Acting Master West as commander of the USS "Ladona." Tells West to take the "Ladona" to Charleston and report to the senior officer present. Written while aboard the USS "Vermont"

GLC03836.50

9 July 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

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 "…

GLC03836.51

13 July 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he arrived at Charleston on 11 July and that the attack on the city started on the 10th. Reports Union forces have taken all of Morris Island except Fort Wagner. Describes the situation around Fort Wagner. Says the navy might have to land some of the crews from the ships to take part in the assault on the fort. Says he heard about Lee's defeat at Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg and that she "must have celebrated the fourth of July with somewhat different feelings from those of last year." Wants to know who General Meade is and goes on to say "he seems to be the right man for the…

GLC03836.52

19 July 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Mary West [incomplete]

Written by Lewis to his sister Mary. References receiving her and Weir's joint letter. Says he will "not be altogether satisfied" if Lee is allowed to escape across the Potomac. Wants to know who General Meade is. Hopes to add Charleston to the column of victories soon, but says they have expended a thousand troops and more will probably have to go. Says he will probably not see much action as a blockader. Says an English ship tried to run the blockade without realizing Morris Island was in Union hands and received a devastating fire, sinking the ship. Says he has heard of "a grand copperhead…

GLC03836.53

1 August 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Weir

Mentions that Weir had gout. Weir had sent West a letter relaying a gloomy political scene in the North, and West responds saying "having passed the largest part of my life afloat, I am not much of a judge of the political feelings of people at home, but I cant for a moment believe that the masses at the North are sunk to the degradation you intimate. I have always thought that we are a people who are the easiest cast down by want of immediate success, and unduly elated by the first symptoms of it." Referencing the New York draft riot he says they were lucky it "occurred while everybody was…

GLC03836.54

8 August 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Weir

References Weir's letter of 24 July. Says he just arrived in Charleston from Bull's Bay and that he is going to Edisto to coal. His one month of command has ended as Acting Lieutenant Broadhead has taken over. He likes Broadhead, saying he is young and had served in the navy before the war. Says Fort Wagner still holds out and "by this time must be an iron mine, from the number of shells thrown into it." Says he heard the admiral will bring all the ships close in for a major attack soon. Written while aboard the USS "Montauk".

GLC03836.55

28 September 1863

Paulding, Hiram, 1797-1878

Document signed

Title: to Lewis H. West

Written on stationary of the Commandant's Office of the Navy Yard at New York. Written in a secretarial hand and signed by Paulding. Tells Acting Master West to report without delay to the commanding officer of the USS "Paul Jones" for a passage to Charleston, South Carolina.

GLC03836.57

7 October 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he is on board the USS "New Ironsides." Says it will probably not be permanent as she has a full compliement of officers. Says a small vessel made an attempt to destroy their ship with a torpedo, but they only succeeded in destroying his own vessel. Says "He might as well have tried to blow up the rock of Gibraltar." One officer was wounded, though. On the night of 5 October 1863, David, commanded by Lieutenant William T. Glassell, CSN, slipped down Charleston Harbor to attack the casemated ironclad steamer USS New Ironsides. The torpedo boat approached undetected until she was within 50…

GLC03836.58

8 October 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he sailed on the USS "Paul Jones" and arrived in Charleston 4 days later. Was then sent to the USS "New Ironsides" for duty. Was about to be reassigned to a monitor when an unexpected torpedo attack from the torpedo boat CSS "David" wounded an officer on the ship. He describes the attack in detail. West spoke to a captured seamen, probably James Sullivan, from the "David" who said "she was a small steamer on the same principle as Winan's cigar ship, with an outrigger to her bows carrying the torpedo. She was so constructed as to be almost entirely under water, excepting a very low…

GLC03836.59

December 7, 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary West

References receiving her latest letter. Says "For the first time since I have been in the service I feel thoroughly discontented. I fancied in coming here I was at length going to see active service but find just the reverse." Says they witnessed the sinking of the USS "Weehawken" in bad weather. Says four engineering officers and 29 men, half the crew, died in the sinking. No cause is known yet because of poor communication during the storms. Heard about General Braxton Bragg's defeat in the Confederate newspapers. Says the Union ships fired their guns in a salute. A court of inquiry found…

GLC03836.60

2 March 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References receiving her latest letter. Speaks cynically about the situation off the South Carolina coast, saying "It really seems as if there was a fatality about all our operations. here, every thing being put off too long. Everybody knows now that Charleston could have been easily taken after the fall of Port Royal yet no move was made to do so until 16 months afterwards." Says there were many lost opportunities. Says he kept Christmas and New Years by having elaborate dinners, which he was not able to enjoy because of poor health. Makes reference to the sinking of the USS "Housatonic"…

GLC03836.61

14 March 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

References his mother's letter of 1 March 1864. Was the pilot for a group of ships that landed 300 soldiers at Bull's Island, South Carolina. The troops disembarked the same day without encountering any Confederate troops. Says that she is right that he seems in low spirits, "the fearful monotony of life on board a vessel of this kind, so much worse than even the outside blockading is a sufficient cause in itself." Is frustrated with being an "acting" officer. Says many of the regular officers are younger than him and that being under them is "not pleasant." Says he can resign at any time,…

GLC03836.62

26 March 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References her letter of 14 March 1864. Says her opinion that he is "decidedly blue" is correct. Says it is depressing to have spent 3 years as he has at the age of 35. Speaks positively of the "change of feeling that has been wrought in public opinion as regards the colored troops." Before they were "looked upon with utter contempt and the idea that they would stand fire was thought ridiculous." Says they are now thought of as equal to white troops. References the bravery of the 54th Massachusetts compared to the disloyalty of the New Yorkers who rioted in July 1863. Says that the black…

GLC03836.63

23 April 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to unknown

Possibly an incomplete letter. Describes a fight that three gunboats had in Stono Inlet. Says the boats saw "a large party of contrabands whom a troop of cavalry were endeavoring to drive off. As the gunboats approached the slaves waded out as deep as they could, towards them and the cavalry commenced cutting and slashing away at them with their sabres." The gunboats fired a cannon and stopped the slaughter, taking in 70 blacks of both sexes and all ages. Describes a run-in with an ex-Congressman named Griswold and reports that "I dont think much of the intellect of South Carolinians, the…

GLC03836.64

24 April 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References her previous letter. A playful letter in response to Harriet's account of a fair at home. Says their boring existence continues and that the only distraction is going fishing 7 or 8 miles outside of Charleston. Says that "The white troops are all leaving this department and their places are being filled with the black regiments. I only hope if Charleston is ever taken that a black Massachusetts regiment may be the first one to march in and take possession." Says he has been hearing news of an impending battle in Virginia. Tells the story of a man who the Union Army allowed to…

GLC03836.65

28 April 1864

Rowan, Stephen Clegg, 1805-1890

Document signed

Title: to Lewis H. West

Written in secretarial hand and signed by Commodore Rowan as commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Orders Acting Master West from the USS "New Ironsides" to the USS "Fernandina." Tells him to report to Commander William Reynolds, the Commander of the Naval Depot at Port Royal, South Carolina, to arrange passage to St. Catherine's, Florida where the "Fernandina" is stationed. Docket signed by three officers. Top signature is illegible, but the other two are by Rowan and Reynolds. Written while aboard the USS "New Ironsides"

GLC03836.66

29 May 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

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…

GLC03836.67

8 June 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Page 8 of this letter has a hand drawn map of the St. Catherine's Island area off the coast of Georgia. References receiving her latest letter. Says they came across a contraband signalling from the shore who told them he belonged to the USS "Waterwitch," which was just captured. He made chase of the ship and tells the story in detail. Map was drawn to help his mother understand his story. A daring commando-style raid by small Confederate boats captured the "Waterwitch" and its crew of 68 commanded by Lieutenant Pendergrast on June 3, 1864. Written while aboard the USS "Fernandina".

GLC03836.68

10 July 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Harriet Moore

References receiving her latest letter. Says they have a vegetable garden on St. Catherine's Island. Says he recently spirited off 10 contrabands and sent them north to Port Royal. Says he has received orders to look out for the "Florida" and "Alabama," as they might be trying to run the blockade. Hopes to be home by the end of the summer. Written while aboard the USS "Fernandina".

GLC03836.69

18 July 1864

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary West

References her letter of 4 July 1864. Says he collected money for a fair for the sailors in the squadron. Says he has collected 85 dollars thus far. Says he is glad that Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes was finally captured. Gives grudging respect to Semmes's abilities. Says the British are afraid of Union Navy's Dahlgren guns. Says "If we were to go to war with England tomorrow it would be 1812 all over again as far as wooden ships are concerned." Says their latest executive officer was detached and granted a leave of absence. Likes his new officer who is young. Questions why the Union…

GLC03836.70

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