Tag Archives: steamers

6 June 1864: “We regret to learn that on Thursday afternoon, or evening, Lt. J. L. Johnston, C.S.N., attached to this station, came to his death by drowning…”

Item description: A death notice for Lt. J. L. Johnston of the Confederate States Navy. Lt. Johnston drowned off the North Carolina coast, near Fort Caswell. Item Transcription: DEATH OF LT. J. L. JOHNSTON We regret to learn that on … Continue reading

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6 April 1864: “Since we entered the Tenn R. I can honestly say I never saw so handsome a river.”

Item Description: Letter dated 6 April 1864 written by Edward W. Allen to his parents, James and Emily Allen. Edward served in Company H of the 16th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers and in this letter was moving from Vicksburg, MS (where … Continue reading

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26 October 1862: “Most all of us came to the conclusion that North Carolina was a tough place, barren and desolate, and hardly worth the cost of fighting for it.”

Item description: Portions of Leaves from a Diary Written While Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass., Dep’t of No. Carolina, an account, written by John Jasper Wyeth of Co. E, of the experiences of the 44th Masachusetts Infantry Regiment. The book, … Continue reading

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25 October 1862: “On board these two steamers are three thousand soldiers with arms and accoutrements. We are the same as defenceless.”

Item description: Published letter, dated 25 October 1862, written by Corporal Zenas T. Haines, Company D, 44th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The letter is an excerpt from Haines’ account, Letters from the Forty-Fourth Regiment M.V.M.: A Record of the Experience of a … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 25 October 1862: “On board these two steamers are three thousand soldiers with arms and accoutrements. We are the same as defenceless.”

4 September 1862: “during all this time our battery was trained on her & it would av taken less time to a blowen her out of the watter, than what it takes me to relate it.”

Item description: Report, dated 4 September 1862, from the log book of the U.S.S. Oneida. The report details the successful attempt of the Confederate cruiser Oreto (also known as Florida) to run the Federal blockade. Item citation: From the Oneida … Continue reading

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20 February 1862: “…we can easily tell when a shell comes from a rifled gun as it comes whistling all sort of tunes…”

Item description: Letter from Henry L. Sturges, a Massachusetts soldier serving on the United States Navy steamer “Mount Vernon,” to an unidentified friend. At the time of the letter, the “Mount Vernon” was operating in the waters near Wilmington, N.C. … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 20 February 1862: “…we can easily tell when a shell comes from a rifled gun as it comes whistling all sort of tunes…”

5 February 1862: “…if they succeed in pulling up enough of the stoccade to let the old Wabash crawl through, you may bet your boots that old Pulaski’s Bomb proof Parapets will shake like a Michigander with the ague.”

Item description: In this letter, Union soldier Emmett Cole writes to his brother Edgar, who is at home in Barry County, Michigan. Emmett discusses his feelings about death, saying that “I am resolved whereever I may be to go without … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 5 February 1862: “…if they succeed in pulling up enough of the stoccade to let the old Wabash crawl through, you may bet your boots that old Pulaski’s Bomb proof Parapets will shake like a Michigander with the ague.”

8 November 1861: The morning very pleasant all hands were up early. The American Flag was seen flying on the opposite Battery from which we made a landing

Item Description: Entry, 8 November 1861, of the log book for the U.S. Steamer Augusta, kept by Eugene Whittemore, a surgeon’s assistant on the ship. The log book includes a daily record of naval operations, activities of the ship’s men, … Continue reading

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7 November 1861: “our Ships passed back & forth each time dealing death to the Enemy.”

Item Description: Entry, 7 November 1861, of the log book for the U.S. Steamer Augusta, kept by Eugene Whittemore, a surgeon’s assistant on the ship. The log book includes a daily record of naval operations, activities of the ship’s men, … Continue reading

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26 October 1861: “there is about 70 Ships in the Fleet and as near as I can learn there is about 70,000 troops on board.”

Item description: Letter, 26 October 1861, from Emmett Cole, Company F, 8th Michigan Infantry Regiment, to his sister Celestia. Written aboard the U.S. Steam Ship Vanderbilt, Cole describes his present conditions, at sea with the United States Navy fleet. Emmett … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 26 October 1861: “there is about 70 Ships in the Fleet and as near as I can learn there is about 70,000 troops on board.”