West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) to Harriet Moore
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03836.67 Author/Creator: West, Lewis H. (b. 1829) Place Written: Aboard USS "Fernandina" at St. Catherine's Sound, Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 May 1864 Pagination: 4 p. ; 24.6 x 19.6 cm. Order a Copy
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 were then infants because equally useless." Says there are some native Africans among them, one of whom is 109 years old. Says they are happy and content with enough corn, pigs, and poultry to get by. Says the cotton fields of the islands are slowly reverting into thickets and the plantation buildings are "tumbling to ruins." Says it gives him satisfaction to wander the islands and witness the downfall of some of the richest families in the South. Says his principal occupation is hunting on the beach.
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