30 November 1860

McSherry, Anna, 1833-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Written by Anna to his brother Henry in the U.S. Navy. Letter is extremely faded in most sections and is hard to read. References receiving a letter from him. Says she cannot write a book, but has thought of writing children's stories. Wishes he was home and says his life must be hard without "intellectual and sympathetic association." Seems to be giving him an update on events in the neighborhood, but it is hard to read. Several tears in the letter.

GLC03523.21.06

9 September 1861

McSherry, Eliza, 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Extremely faded letter with water damage and mold. Written by Eliza to her brother Henry in the U.S. Navy. Seems that several of Henry's friends have been killed. She says she especially is sad at the loss of Holmes and tries to console him. Says "I heard a lady say the other day that she would prefer her friend to be killed ... rather than wounded and suffering on the battlefield. that is terrible indeed." Updates him on friends and family.

GLC03523.21.11

8 December 1861

McSherry, Eliza, 1829-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Letter is faded from water damage. Written by Eliza to her brother Henry. Is sorry he has to "go away without even getting a sight of a home face." Wants him to come up to Littlestown to visit while his vessel is being prepared. Tells him to "not give in to low spirits. Ask Almighty God's direction and all will be for the best." In discussing the political leanings of Littlestown, she says "you would find some of the objections here, that you think you would met in B[altimore], tho' not in so great a degree." Says he can write whatever he wants "even the minutest details of our boat[,] every…

GLC03523.21.12

16 December 1861

McSherry, Richard M., 1818-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Written by Richard to his brother Henry. After Henry left, he went to see Mr. Lancaster, who showed him around. Went to the Academy of Music. References receiving his letter from New York, and was glad he made it back on time. Says he sent the $5 to Aunt Eliza and settled with their mother, and says they are now even. Says he walked down the street with Mrs. Spalding and that she enquired after him. Says "We are all rejoicing here over the news from the other side and I hope that you will soon have to leave off blockading etc and go to fight the British Lion." Says there has been a good deal…

GLC03523.21.13

3 January 1862

McSherry, Anna, 1833-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Letter is faded because of water damage. Says the letters sent on 10 December might not have reached him yet. Says they heard of him from Kate Dandridge who received a letter from Kate Latrobe, who had just seen him. The letter said he "looked so sad when you spoke of Holmes." Holmes was his friend who was recently killed. Says that is all they have heard of his visit to Baltimore. References his letter of 1 December and says she received it on 11 December. Provides quick update on friends. Creator inferred from content and handwriting. Anna was living in Martinsburg in letters from 1861, and…

GLC03523.21.14

January 17, 1862

McSherry, Kate, fl. 1861-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Signed as "Sister Kate" to her brother Henry. Her last name could be McSherry, but never appears in the census. She could be the Kate Latrobe mentioned in GLC03523.21.14, and if that is the case she was born in 1839. Says they received his letter from Key West, Florida. Says "We will feel very uneasy now as you think the Sciota is not very safe, it is a shame they send such boats to sea, and I think the officers should remonstrate against it. It is enough to face the guns, they might at least have a safe vessel to go in." The USS "Sciota" was a new ship, only commissioned on 15 December 1861…

GLC03523.21.15

4 January 1862

Tillotson, George W., 1830-1918

Autograph letter signed

Title: To his wife

Marching orders, ammunitions, reporting to Burnside for naval expedition.

GLC04558.005

February 4, 1862

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Writes to his sister and says that he is enclosing 50 dollars in treasury notes. Would have sent more but did not anticipate being at the Portsmouth Navy Yard for so long. Says he has an allotment of 10 dollars a month for 2 years beginning on 31 March being saved at the Navy Agent's office in Boston. The allotment is payable to their father. Wants their father to get Uncle Prescott to collect it. Thanks his mother for the "Puff, Pillow, &c" but that they would not be of use to him. Will sail today or tomorrow and their first destination will be Cadiz, Spain. Tells her to watch the…

GLC02828.01

12 April 1862

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says his last letter was dictated because he was unable to write. That was because he injured his finger while assisting the ship's doctor remove the tonsils of another sailor. After making the cut, the doctor handed the knife to him "the point of which was covered with pus, and just at that time the ship rolled suddenly, and I accidentally scratched the end of my fore-finger of my right hand with the instrument; the finger immediately commenced paining me; and in the course of the day, swelled to an enormous size; the swelling extending over the whole hand and half way up to the elbow."…

GLC02828.02

24 August 1862

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says she was supposed to send letters to the American consul at Gibraltar before, but now asks her not to send any letters until she hears from him again. Says they have orders to leave Algeciras for Cadiz on 1 September. After that it is assumed they will go to Madeira, St. Thomas, and then Key West. Sends his love to the rest of the family. Letter sent by the store ship "Release." Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge."

GLC02828.03

14 September 1862

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his father

Says they are anchored in Gibraltar Bay for the purpose of painting the ship. Says they will probably stay until 1 October, when they expect to be relieved by the "Tuscarora." They will then go to Philadelphia for slight repairs, if not ordered elsewhere. Says his letters are probably uninteresting, but that he cannot find anything interesting to write about. Hopes to get material if they cruise through the West Indies and along the U.S. coast. Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge"

GLC02828.04

6 October 1862

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his father

Says they left Algeciras, Spain on 1 October and arrived in the Azores on 6 October. They are coaling and will be cruising in a few hours, he says. They are cruising with the "Tuscarora" in pursuit of two rebel steamers. One of them is the CSS "Alabama" captained by Raphael Semmes, formerly of the "Sumter." Reports that the "Alabama" has captured 12 Massachusetts-based whalers. Last report of the "Alabama," was that she was crusing on the other side of Fayal island last Saturday. Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge".

GLC02828.05

8 January 1863

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says last letter sent was on 25 November 1862 by a barque bound for New York. Says they are at the Navy Yard in Cadiz with no prospect of leaving before the middle of March. Says if they went to an American port all their repairs could have been done in 20 days. Reports that Captain Pickering and their first lieutenant have been ordered home and that Captain Winslow and Lieutenant Thornton have been sent to the "Kearsage." They will arrive in a few days by the "Vanderbilt." Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge"

GLC02828.06

23 March 1863

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

References his sister's letters of 25 July and 5 September 1862, which he received on 15 March 1863. Also received her letters from 5 & 7 January as well as 5 February. Tells her not send letter by the Naval Lyceum as letters are allowed to sit there too long before being sent on. Obliged for the photographs, "although I do not consider them well executed." Leaving on 25 March to go to Fayal Island, Azores to pick up their new captain, Winslow. Does not know where they are going afterward, but assumes they will go after privateers. Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge"

GLC02828.08

29 May 1863

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says they arrived at Cadiz this morning from "a very pleasant cruise." Reports that he left Cadiz for the cruise on 26 March and that he visited all the "'Western Islands,' Madeira to Gibraltar in 69 hours." Received new officers at Fayal Island, Captain Winslow and Lieutenant Commander Thornton. Says they will be leaving for another cruise in a few days, but cannot inform her where they will be going. Assumes Lisbon will be the first place they go though. Says to keep sending letters to him at Cadiz. Says this is the only letter he has written since the end of March because "I have not had…

GLC02828.09

2 August 1863

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says it has been so long since he has written that she probably assumes he did not intend to write again. Says for past 2 months the "Kearsarge" has been cruising among the Canary, Madeira, & Western Islands. Says they will probably stay in Fayal for about a week. Cannot tell where they will cruise next, as it depends on circumstances. Says he would not be surprised if they returned to the United States in the fall, but that they will more than likely stay on the eastern side of the Atlantic a year longer. Enjoys good health and says their cruise was a delightful one.

GLC02828.10

11 August 1863

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says he sent a letter to her a few days ago, but did not know where he was going. Can now tell her that tonight he is leaving "for St. Michael, to return in a few days, then we are to proceed to Cadiz and Gibraltar." Reports he had an opportunity to write since an invalid from the crew is being shipped back home.

GLC02828.11

27 September 1863

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says on 7 September while at Funchal, Madeira, they learned the CSS "Florida" was in the English Channel and they immediately started in pursuit of her. Put in to Ferrol, Spain on 14 September for coal. Heard that the "Florida" had gone to Brest, France and they left to intercept her on the 15 September. Says they arrived at Brest on 17 September, where they have blockaded the Confederate ship ever since. Says their length of time there will depend on the movements of the "Florida." Would have written right away, but wanted to wait until he got his mail from Cadiz (it was telegraphed for…

GLC02828.12

February 21, 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Tells her he is now steaming up the English Channel and that he will send this letter by the first port they land in, either Calais or Dover. Left the waters around Brest on 17 January to go to Cadiz in order to reprovision, get coal, and have the ship repaired. Arrived in Cadiz on 23 January. Having taken care of the ship, they left Cadiz on 13 February and arrived at Brest again on 18 February. Reports the CSS "Florida" left Brest while they were away. Also, on 16 February, the CSS "Georgia" left Cherbourg. Says the "rebel Pirates" are probably sailing together. Will not be surprised if…

GLC02828.13

24 April 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Tells her it is just 27 months to this day that the "Kearsarge" has been commissioned and that their cruise will be done soon. Says he can "safely state" that they will be home around the end of June or early July. Reports that on 28 March their foretop mast was carried away and that they were compelled to go to London for a new one. Says they were there for a week and that he got to do some sightseeing. Arrived at Ostend, Belgium on 17 April and when entering the port they ran into a bridge and carried away an entire span of it. The ship's bow was stuck upon a rock afterward and they could…

GLC02828.14

16 May 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says this will probably be the last letter she will receive from him this cruise. Arrived in Dover from Flushing, Holland yesterday. Says they will leave for Madeira tonight or tomorrow and from there to the U.S. Says he has reason to think their plans will not change. Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge"

GLC02828.15

30 May 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Tells her he informed her that he would be home soon in his last letter, but he says that information was premature. Reports that on the day they were supposed to sail for Madeira, they received dispatches from the American minister to France, which detained them. Since then they have been sailing in the Straits of Dover. Says he is still of the opinion that they will be home in July. Claims it is rumored that the "Rappahannock" will never leave Calais as a Confederate vessel and that the Russians are about to purchase her. Leaves tomorrow for Flushing, Holland and probably from there to…

GLC02828.16

19 June 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Written directly after the engagement with the "Alabama." Says one week ago while in Flushing, Holland, Captain Winslow received information of the arrival of the CSS "Alabama" at Cherbourg. Says they left immediately and remained sitting outside Cherbourg until this "forenoon" when the "Alabama" came out to give them battle. At 11:10 a.m. "precisely, the 'Alabama' fired the first gun and just three minutes afterwards the 'Kearsarge' opened her battery and kept up a continuous fire for the space of one hour & two minutes, when the 'Alabama' fired a gun to the leeward and hoisted a white…

GLC02828.17

8 July 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

References her letter of 21 June, which he received on his arrival to Dover from Cherbourg on 6 July. Will cross over the English Channel tonight to Boulogne, and if they stay there long enough he will buy her the gloves she requested. Reports that "At Cherbourg we were crowded with visitors, among them where Louis Napoleon and the Prince Consort - since our arrival here we have been completely overrun, everybody in England seems anxious to see the famous 'Kearsarge and her guns.'" Says as he is writing this there are two steamers together with a large number of yachts and rowboats, all…

GLC02828.18

11 August 1864

Tittle, George A., fl. 1862-1864

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his sister

Says their relief, the "Iroquois," arrived yesterday. Reports they leave tonight for Cherbourg to receive their wounded and that they will proceed home from there, probably via Cadiz and the Western Islands. Says she can expect him about the middle of next month. Written while aboard the USS "Kearsarge"

GLC02828.19