26 August 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Tells his mother that he received an appointment as Acting Master in the U.S. Navy. Says he is now detached from the USS "Perry" and has been ordered to report to Flag Officer Stringham at Hampton Roads for duty on the USS "Wabash." Took the oath of allegience that morning and will start for Hampton Roads tomorrow. Says the "Wabash" is going to sea immediately with the "Minnesota" and the "Pawnee." Is afraid that he might not get there before the "Wabash" leaves because of "red tapeism."

GLC03836.18

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

19 November 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Written aboard the USS "Alabama." Encloses a one-page hand-drawn chart of the 7 November 1861 naval battle at Port Royal Harbor, which he had copied by "placing a sheet of thin paper" over the original. Reports that the original chart had been made by one of the officers of the 'Susquehanna' and was "said to be very accurate." Says he is at Charleston and that they are still blockading "this nest of secession." Duty has been dull; since "the stunning blow inflicted on them [Confederates in the area] by Dupont's splendid victory. We have seen no sign of the small steamers which were in the…

GLC03836.27

13 August 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

References her letter of 9 August. Also received a letter from Hill from 9 August. Sent documents to Jim Roosevelt (a merchant who employed West before the war) that Hill requested to be sent. Says there is no set timeframe for his ship going out to sea, as many of the crew are still serving at Fort Dahlgren. Says he likes the new captain and that "I begin to hope, that we have at last got the right man in the right place since McClellan has taken command; nobody knows what he is about, or how many troops he has here." Says the Fire Zouaves are going home and hopes they stay there "for a more…

GLC03836.15

17 August 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says their commander will be changed again. Says his ship has had 4 captains since he has been assigned to her. Reports that their first lieutenant will not leave as he is very young, but that he has improved discipline greatly. Wants a young commander to become captain, as their last 2 were in the service for 30 years before taking command. Says it "is a ruinous system truly, where [a] man loses the most energetic part of his life in subordinate positions, before he can command even a little vessel like this." Says the blockade is ineffective. Claims the commerce of the South to be shut down…

GLC03836.16

18 August 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Weir

Says he has little to tell him. Relates to him how he ended up in Alexandria in the aftermath of Bull Run. Says "I could not help thinking that if I was an inhabitant, I should prefer having an enemy to a friend to do the protecting; however as obedience to orders is a great military virtue, the men, doubtless with the utmost philanthropy towards the people, proceeded to select their targets among the various church steeples, buildings &c." Says half his crew of his brig is on shore manning guns. Says that the ship is not sent to sea because the commander does not like the vessel and "…

GLC03836.17

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

6 September 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he is still waiting for his ship to arrive. Describes the people he has met at the fort. References General John Wool -- "Old Wool" -- who works the troops in reviews and drills. Says "I never saw a more beautiful sight than a review of the 4th artillery (regulars) that we had the other day. I only wish that we had a hundred thousand such troops." Tells the story of a captain who took his ship oystering and was fired upon by Union pickets when he tried to return. The captain was so angry that he declared "Nothing would satisfy him but that an equal number of them should get into the…

GLC03836.21

22 October 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says they are going at least as far south as Charleston, as they will be dropping off officers there. Has heard they might attack Charleston and claims 18 transport ships will be joining them down to South Carolina, enough to hold 25,000 troops. Heard rumors of a Confederate attack at Newport News. Says a man fell over 100 feet while working on the sails during a recent gale. Says he is in command of a "fine rifled twelve pounder." Written was aboard the USS "Wabash"

GLC03836.24

25 October 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he was detached from the USS "Wabash," and ordered to take the place of a sick officer on the USS "Alabama." Claims "It is extremely irritating to be shifted about in this way, just as I get accustomed to one ship to be unceremoniously bundled into another." Says the top officers had a "pow wow" on board the "Wabash" last night, no doubt discussing their plans for the upcoming mission. Written while aboard the USS "Alabama".

GLC03836.25

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

21 December 1861

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he started down for Fernandine. Says they previously boarded an English ship loaded with salt heading for New Brunswick. The ship had a letter stating that it should try to get to Savannah, Georgia if possible, but to go to New Brunswick otherwise. They thought it was a weak ruse to avoid the blockade and they towed the ship into Port Royal. Says they captured a ship ladened with provisions after it ran ashore on the beach. Describes the capture and eventual burning of the ship in detail. Says he was able to get some coffee and a new pair of shoes and that 12,000 cigars were captured.…

GLC03836.29

January 20, 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

February 25, 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

13 March 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Sent 340 dollars in gold to his father's address. Says the USS "Flag" arrived with news that the Confederates fled St. John's on the approach of gunboats. Mentions the destruction of the USS "Cumberland" and "Congress," by the CSS "Merrimack." Says everyone predicted the result and that it was a topic of discussion for the last 6 months. Says the Secretary of the Navy or the flag officer of their fleet are "drivelling idiots." Says the arrival of the USS "Monitor" was providential. Reports that the army is at last on the move.

GLC03836.32

23 March 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says they had an easy run from Baltimore to Port Royal. Reports that St. John's, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine are under Union control. Says the army is afraid of Confederate attacks around Port Royal and has requested more vessels. Praises Burnside's recent advances.

GLC03836.33

25 March 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says he just arrived in St. Augustine from Mosquito Inlet and that he will sail for Port Royal within the hour. Reports that just before they arrived at Mosquito Inlet, several ships that went upriver to attack a Confederate fort were ambushed, killing several officers and wounding the rest. Written while aboard the USS "Alabama"

GLC03836.34

13 May 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Weir

References his friend's letter of 3 April. References Farragut and Porter's running of the forts below New Orleans. Tells the story of a ship that snuck past him. Tells of other run-ins while on blockading duty. Relates a conversation he had with a captured Confederate blockade runner while his ship was recoaling. Talks for 2 pages on General McClellan, mostly in a positive vein. Says the politicians and "crazy abolitionists of the Horace Greely school" are the only ones against him. Mentions General David Hunter and says "He has issued a proclamation recently, freeing all the slaves in South…

GLC03836.35

9 July 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says a new lieutenant arrived on his ship and that he is now again a watch officer. Says he did not want to be an executive officer, but once he had the position it was difficult to give it back. Has applied to be ordered to another vessel, but does not have time to fill in the details of why. Has received newspaper accounts from Richmond and says Stonewall Jackson is the best general the war has produced so far. Says General Hunter is to go North to reinforce McClellan and wishes it would have taken place earlier, as some good units were wasted in an attack on James Island. Part of the…

GLC03836.36

26 August 1862

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary West

Written by Lewis to his sister Mary. Continues the letter on 30 August and 5 September. Disparages where he is stationed, saying it is desolate and lacks civilized life. Says he has been made an executive officer again, due to personnel changes on the ship. Says he is at St. Andrews Sound because the "Alabama" has been under steam for over a year and cannot be trusted to make the trip north to be overhauled. Therefore they are waiting in Georgia for the machinery to come to them. Says the repairs are needed as dry rot is everywhere. At St. Simons three weeks before he "had the pleasure of a…

GLC03836.37

January 17, 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Rumors abound of a Confederate attack on Newport News by Longstreet's Corps and riverboats. Says the "Galena," "Patapsco," "Minnesota," "Pawnee," "Ladona," "Commodore Morris," and "Commodore Perry," are present. Says things are in order, but he has been critical of some of the younger officers. Reports that they "Neither like me very well and I think they will like me still less as they get better acquainted." Says his ship will soon leave Newport News for Port Royal to join DuPont's fleet. Says the ship is "wretchedly out of stern," which has been slowing her down. Says it occurred when the…

GLC03836.40

January 23, 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

References his mother's letter of 20 January. Says they are waiting in Newport News under sailing orders, which means they could leave at any minute or sit for an indefinite period. Says the tugboats are sent 8 or 9 miles upriver to keep a lookout for Confederate riverboats and that they announced an attack the night before. There was great confusion when the ships deployed to defend against the attack because of a night fog. Nothing came of the supposed attack. Goes on to describe the Norfolk navy yard in detail, saying it was "a scene of utter ruin and desolation." Says the hull of the USS…

GLC03836.41

February 5, 1863

West, Lewis H., 1829-?

Autograph letter signed

Title: to R. West

Says they arrived at Port Royal towing the ironclad "Weehawken" after a stormy passage. Describes sailing in the storm in detail. They wanted to cut the "Weehawken" loose, but no one could get on her deck to release the chain. Updates her on recent blockading news around South Carolina. Continues letter on 6 February. Has just been told to have any letters to him directed to Key West, Florida. Says the "Weehawken," has sustained more damage than expected.

GLC03836.42