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

26 December 1844

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Daniel Cady

Writes to his uncle about two merchants, Shepard and Wright, who owe him money. Believes that if they start legal action against Shepard, he will pay. With note and docket on verso by recipient.

GLC07483.16

21 September 1848

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Edward Augustus Stansbury

Mentions giving something about the men of the state to a W. Williams.

GLC07483.17

26 October 1856

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Reverand W. Heath

Replies to a request to come speak at the Reverend's church by stating that he is getting old and has almost entirely given up public speaking. Tells him to visit when he can.

GLC07483.19

15 October 1863

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William L. Starkey [?]

Has received his letter and states "Certainly, certainly, add my name to the list of subscribers." Comments that he was friends with the writer's father.

GLC07483.20

26 March 1864

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Susan A. Doughty

Sends his autograph in reply to a request. Ends with "May you see many Happy years!" On gold paper.

GLC07483.21

7 January 1867

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to C[?] Van W[?]

Asks recipient to send money to England because his daughter is spending a year in Europe. Recipient's name is illegible.

GLC07483.23

20 August 1868

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to E.L. Wyler [?] Esq.

Recipient's name is illegible. Mentions Ulysses S. Grant/ Schuyler Colfax running for president/ vice president in the election of 1868 and states he is in support of them.

GLC07483.24

19 July 1868

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874

Autograph letter signed

Title: to J.A. Spencer

Expresses his thanks for Spencer's condolences on the death of his child.

GLC07483.25

1861-1865

Buttre, John Chester, 1821-1893

Engraving

Title: [Gerrit Smith]

Bust portrait engraving of Gerrit Smith with printed signature below image.

GLC07483.26

29 July 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says the scattered troops have been reorganized. Reports on conditions in town saying "I took a party of seamen on Saturday night as a reinforcement for those already in the trenches, and was painfully struck by the appearance of things in general. Not a soul was to be seen in the streets except soldiers, some of them off duty, lounging about, or drunk, and ready for any outrage." Says their naval brigade has done good work. Says they are led by a Lieutenant Parker, "who is true blue, although he has a brother on the secession side. How do you get on with all our secessionist connections, I…

GLC03836.13

8 August 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Received 2 letters from his mother and four from his sister Mary. Says he went up to Washington and got the box sent to him. Says Captain Parrott left and has been replaced with Captain Haggerty. Has not been able to form an opinion on his character. Also says their first lieutenant has left and their second lieutenant, Miller, has replaced him. Says the entrenchments in town are getting along well and that they are called Fort Dahlgren. Says "I am getting very impatient at our present occupation, which consists of doing nothing at all, just lying at anchor and looking at the town, and this…

GLC03836.14

17 September 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Is at Hampton Roads for repairs. Gives an account of the collision. When on board the USS "Flag," he noticed the ship was not well disciplined. Describes the crew. Goes on to describe in detail how the frigate USS "Susquehanna" and the "Flag" came to collide. Says the "Flag" sustained damage to the "upper works" and "was in no danger, her elongated bow and cutwater having acted as a fender for her timbers and planking." Sums the situation up by saying "The rule for two steamers meeting to avoid collision is perfectly clear and simple, viz, both ships put their helms aport, the effect of…

GLC03836.22

20 September 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says there has been a major shuffling of commands. Commodore Stringham and Captains Nicholson of the USS "Roanoke," Mercer of the USS "Wabash," and Hull of the "Savannah," have all been detached. Says Goldsborough is to become flag officer and that the captains have been detached because they are all senior to him. Is happy that the navy is being innovative and taking on the "old officers." Says the blockade has been very inefficient up to this point. Says "Goldsborough is considered about the best officer in the service, among naval officers, and is said to be a man of great energy."…

GLC03836.23

29 August 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Arrived at Fortress Monroe in the morning and discovered "to my disgust" that his expedition has already sailed. Reported to Captain Gleason of the USS "Mount Vernon" as the senior commander at the fort and was told he had to find quarters wherever he could. Says he must wait for the commodore to return, but to be ready for any special service he might be wanted for. Says he is now staying in the lighthouse close to fort and is comfortable with nothing to do. Second page has a quick note about procuring envelopes and stamps in a different hand and appears to be written by his sister Mary.

GLC03836.20

5 November 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Sent this letter by a prize they took that morning. The prize was being sent back to Hampton Roads. Several hours after reporting for duty on the USS "Alabama," he was sent to Charleston to relieve the USS "Susquehanna," which was having engine troubles. Thinks the fleet that amassed in Hampton Roads is heading to Port Royal. Says Charleston is greatly effected by the presence of Union ships. Reports that "Some fugitive slaves who came off in the night, report that they had been employed throwing up entrenchments at Port Royal but had been obliged to leave as they were discovered by the…

GLC03836.26

4 December 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

References his mother's letter of 26 November. Says the Confederates are trying to avoid the blockade by stopping in Nassau and transferring their cargo to smaller ships to slip past the Union Navy. Says the Union controls the sea islands off South Carolina and that "the niggers being lords of the land. They have availed themselves of the opportunity to sell to the invaders large quantities of beer, mutton and vegetables, the ownership of which nobody troubles themselves to inquire about." Says he gave some money to one of the former slaves and he remarked that he would probably give it to…

GLC03836.28

20 January 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

References his mother and sister's letters of 19 and 20 December and another from 6 January. Mentions remembering his father riding on a pig's back down Seventh Street along the Schuylkill River. Says the fog has been bad lately, which helps ships run out of the harbor, but makes running in hard. Says 2 nights ago a boat with 3 contrabands came to their ship. Says 1 of the 3 was very intelligent and gave them valuable information about the harbor, as he had been in a pilot boat. Describes their escape. Says one was "a full blooded darky," another "a mulatto," and the other "so nearly white…

GLC03836.30

25 February 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says they are still waiting at Warsaw Sound. After the arrival of a refugee from Savannah, they received newspapers from both Savannah and Charleston giving accounts of Buell's successes in the West. The newspapers state the Confederates lost 10,000 men and that Nashville is lost. Mentions news of the Confederate draft. Says the South "appear[s] to have woke up at last to the magnitude of the contest they have provoked." Says the entire squadron has received orders that they must cease writing about their future movements in letters. Written while aboard the USS "Alabama".

GLC03836.31

10 February 1862

Weeks, John F., fl. 1860-1882

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his parents

Writes that he has just been paid twenty-six dollars. Has been ordered to March to Springfield tomorrow morning. His regiment is under command of Sigel. Asks his parents to collect a sixty-five dollar note he has if anything should happen to him. Will send his parents forty dollars to spend.

GLC06728.012

August 1, 1862

Weeks, John F., fl. 1860-1882

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his parents

Updates his father on the commanders of the regiment. Writes that General Asboth is the Brigadier General, Nicolas Grensel is the colonel and also a member of the Free Masons;. Lieutenant Colonel Joselyn and Major Barry have resigned and Capt. J.Q. Adams (also a Mason) is very sick. Complains that the quality of clothes they are receiving is not as good as before. Would like to see his family but has a "good a will as ever to obliterate rebellion". Writes that he is in favor of the confiscation and emancipation bill if colonization is strictly attended to. Reports that a Negro was…

GLC06728.019

31 January 1882

Garrison, Wendell Phillips, 1840-1907

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mr. Northend

Discusses advertisements in The Nation, a liberal periodical devoted to politics and culture of which he was editor from 1865-1906. Recalls an excursion he took with his father, William Lloyd Garrison toward the end of his life. Talks of his fear of giving speeches "Like my father, to his latest day, when called upon to speak I always feel like fumbling for a manuscript. An habitual writer allows his tongue to become atrophied for want of use..." States that despite this, he will consider an invitation to speak.

GLC07483.07

29 March 1866

McSherry, Anna, 1833-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Written by Anna to her brother Henry. She seems to have had a meeting with "Mr. Welles" -- possibly the Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles. She thinks one of the charges brought against Henry was disloyalty. She is surprised because "you and Pa at the first out break of the war opposed secession." She mentions that their father was president of a Union meeting early in the war. Says there was a "reign of terror" in West Virginia when Confederate forces came through, making arrests. She says it was well known that Henry always did what he felt was right. Also mentions that their father is…

GLC03523.21.55

7 April 1866

McSherry, Anna, 1833-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Written by Anna to her brother Henry. Says their father wants him to send home an allotment ticket. Says their father would be able to put the payment, which is in gold, to good use, maybe to purchase land. Continues letter on 18 April 1866. References his letters of 1 February and 11 February, both of which had photographs in them. Henry seems to be thinking about settling in the East Indies. If that is the case, their father would not have thought his resignation such a mistake. Says their Baltimore friends consider his resignation a mistake. Everyone is afraid of the glut of surgeons…

GLC03523.21.56

26 May 1866

McSherry, Anna, 1833-?

Autograph letter

Title: to Henry F. McSherry

Written by Anna to her brother Henry. Hopes he comes home from the Pacific soon. Says the newspapers include exciting accounts of mining in Nevada and Colorado. Says the papers are filled with news of war in Europe (Austria and Italy). Mentions that their father conditionally sold 850 acres of mountain land. There is concern about the rights to coal and oil on the land. Updates him on new faces and stores in town, as well as recent marriages. Stained and faded.

GLC03523.21.57