West, Lewis H., 1829-? to Harriet Moore
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03836.81 Author/Creator: West, Lewis H., 1829-? Place Written: St. Catherine's Sound, Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: December 9, 1864 Pagination: 4 p. : docket ; Height: 24.8 cm, Width: 19.6 cm Order a Copy
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 extensive fire, far inland and I should not be surprised if it should prove to be some of Sherman's work, as by all accounts he has pretty well 'blazed' his track through Georgia." Has received new crew members who need to be trained. Written while aboard the USS "Fernandina".
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.