Letter to Morris Island

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Letter to Morris Island Descriptive Summary Repository: Georgia Historical Society Creator: N.S. Title: Letter to Morris Island Dates: 1863 Extent: 0.05 cubic feet (1 folder) Identification: MS 0019 Biographical/Historical Note Morris Island, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, served as a Civil War battleground in 1863. In July of that year, the island’s Confederate troops withstood and were victorious over Union attacks. One of these attacks was led by the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, consisting entirely of black soldiers. The 54th Regiment’s captain, Robert Gould Shaw, died in this attack. After months of constant bombardment, the Confederate army evacuated Morris Island in September of 1863. The island remained under Union occupation for the remainder of the war. In 1864, Confederate prisoners of war were kept under extreme conditions on Morris Island, and came to be known as the "Immortal 600." Scope and Content Note This collection contains a letter written to "Friends on Morris Island," South Carolina, in November 1863, by assumedly a Federal spy (it is initialed "N.S."). The letter tells of the loss of a Confederate submarine, defenses at Fort Sumter, and a visit by Jefferson Davis to Charleston, S.C. Included is a transcription of the letter. Index Terms Charleston (S.C.) Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889. Fort Sumter (Charleston, S.C.) H. L. Hunley (Submarine) Letters (correspondence) Morris Island (S.C.) Spies--South Carolina--Charleston. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations--submarine. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Secret service. Administrative Information Custodial History This letter was found in a bottle in the Charleston Harbor, November 1863, by Captain M.P. Usina. He presented the letter to the Georgia Historical Society at the May meeting, 1885. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Letter to Morris Island, MS 19, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia. Acquisition Information Gift of Captain M.P. Usina, 1885. Restrictions Access Restrictions Collection is open for research. Publication Rights Copyright has not been assigned to the Georgia Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Division of Library and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Georgia Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher. Container List Item 1: Letter to Morris Island, 1863 View online..

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STL Booklet.Indd
Help Preserve the Heritage of America Save the Morris Island Lighthouse “I can think of no other ediﬁ ce constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve. They weren’t built for any other purpose. - George Bernard Shaw Whether South Carolina is your home; whether you simply love lighthouses; or whether you are an American who seeks to save our remaining historical treasures, your help is earnestly needed. As you may know, the Morris Island Lighthouse has a damaged foundation and may fall if stabilization steps are not taken soon. Thanks to years of beach erosion, made worse by the construction of the Charleston jetties which were completed in 1897, the site of the lighthouse has been steadily eroded by the Atlantic Ocean. The exposure has allowed an inﬁ ltration of shipworms to infest the timber pile & grillage base of the lighthouse tower. The following pages will acquaint you with, the history of Morris Island and its light- houses. You will also learn in more detail about the current condition of the structure and the state approved engineering plan to save the lighthouse from collapse. Finally, you will have the opportunity to evaluate the phased plan for its preservation and budget to accomplish each phase. Our recent completion of Phase 1 on March 28, 2008 puts us squarely on track to ensure our enjoyment of this historical treasure for many years to come. 1 2 The Lighthouse When you look at the Morris Island Light- house today you are seeing a landmark so rich in history that it has become an integral part of America’s heritage.
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Regiment Assignments
:51 AM Tue Jan 8 ■II -:- 52% I mrlinfo.org James Matthew Townsend (1841-1913) James M. Townsend was born August 18, 1841 in Gallipolis, Ohio, the son of William and Mary Ann Townsend. He attended the public schools in Oxford, Ohio, and at an early age began preaching in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1863, anxious to help emancipate his race, he enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers -- the first black regiment to enter military service. Townsend remained on active duty until the end of the Civil War. Upon returning home he attended Oberlin Academy, a preparatory high school operated by Oberlin College, for two years. Then he moved to Evansville, Indiana, where he was a school principal and continued his religious studies. In 1871 he was ordained a deacon. During the next fifteen years he held pastorates in several Indiana cities, among them Terre Haute, Indianapolis, and Richmond. In 1876 Townsend was elected assistant secretary of the A.M.E. Church's national conference; two years later he was named missionary secretary of the church. In that capacity he traveled abroad several times. He was chosen in 1881 as a delegate to an ecumenical conference in London, England. He moved to Richmond, and in 1885 was elected a state legislator on the Republican ticket, only the second African-American to be elected. Townsend was a vigorous advocate of civil rights for blacks while in the General Assembly. He introduced a bill to abolish all distinctions of race in state laws -- including marriage and the militia. It failed, but Townsend's pleas for equal justice did produce a bill banning descrimination in public places.
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Correspondence Relating to Fortification of Morris Island And
E H- lib V CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO Fortification of Morris Island OPERATIONS OF ENGII.JIERS CHARLESTON, S. C, 1863. New York. ( JOHN J . A r L O N , PRINTER, 2 O V E S E Y STREET. Glass f^^^ Book_J^s::g CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO Fortification of Morris Island OPERATIONS OF ENGINEERS. CHARLESTON, S. C, 1863. New York. JOHN J. CAUL ON, PRINTER, 2 VESEY STREET. 1878. £- b7- T^^^ 4o5 CORRESPONDENCE. Headquarters First Military District, Department S. C, Georgia & Florida, Charleston, S. C, May 24th, 1863. General:—The continued occupation and activity of the enemy on Folly Island, may reasonably lead us to expect an attack from that direction, sooner or later, unless we are thor- oughly prepared to receive it. What their force is we have no means of ascertaining, and from the great reduction in our numbers it is impossible to employ scouting parties in such strength as to furnish an approximation. Steamers are seen to communicate with them from time to time ; but whether they bring or carry away troops, or whether they are merely supply vessels, are matters of doubt. From personal observation, I have the honor to state that the preparations which are going on under the Engineer Depart- ment, for communication with, and the defence of Morris Island, are dilatory, and will not be finished according to pre- sent appearances for a long period. The bridge over the first creek south of Fort Johnson is commenced ; the ferry arrange- ments over Light House Creek, and the causewavs over The Soft Marsh are only started.
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Rose O'neal Greenhow to Jefferson Davis
Published on NCpedia (https://www.ncpedia.org) Home > ANCHOR > Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1876) > A Soldier's Life > Rose O'Neal Greenhow to Jefferson Davis Rose O'Neal Greenhow to Jefferson Davis [1] Share it now! Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a well-connected widow and prominent hostess in Washington, D.C. before aligning herself with the Confederacy and solidifying her legacy as a Confederate spy. Below is an excerpt of a letter she wrote to Confederate President Jefferson Davis where she discusses past battles and current plans and sentiments about Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston July 16th [1863] To The President My dear Sir. I arrived here yesterday (Wednesday) at noon rather after a fatiguing travel from Richmond, not stoping by the wayside long enough to wash my face. ... The impression here that Charleston is in great danger is sustained by the opinion of the Military Authorities. I saw Genrl. Beauregard who came to call upon me, and had a very long conversation with him, and he is deeply impressed with the gravity of the position. He says that three months since he called upon the planters to send him 2000 negro's to work upon the fortifications [2] at Morris Island and other points and that he could only get one hundred, and that they would not listen to his representations as to the threatened danger. That he considered the late successes against the Yankee Iron Clads, as a grave misfortune, as the people in despite of his protests to the contrary have been lulled into a fatal security -- That the Yankees are in force upon a position of Morris Island from which it will be impossible to dislodge them, as they are protected by the sea and marsh on one side and by their Iron Clads on the other that we must eventually abandon the portion of the Island which they now occupy, but that he is erecting works on James Island which will command those works, which he will destroy and render it impossible for them to reconstruct.
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Name: Edhelper Battles - Fort Sumter
Name: edHelper Battles - Fort Sumter Every war has a starting point. The event may not seem important by itself, but the timing can make it significant. The shots which began the American Civil War occurred in the Charleston, South Carolina harbor on April 12, 1861. When South Carolina first seceded from the Union, there was a question about the Union forts and weapons arsenal within her territory. A commission was sent to Washington, D.C. to work out answers to these and other questions. On December 9, 1860, an agreement had been reached. They would eventually be ceded to the state but for now would remain as they were in both condition and ownership. It seemed pretty straight forward. Fort Moultrie was accessible by land and was garrisoned. Fort Sumter, on an island in the middle of the harbor, was incomplete and ungarrisoned. Major Robert Anderson commanded Fort Moultrie. Born and raised in Kentucky and married to a Southern woman, he sympathized with the South, but he served and was loyal to the Union army. His orders were to maintain his current position. Fort Moultrie was not in the most favorable position. It was situated on low ground, while hills and buildings in the area were higher. Anderson and his officers saw troops being moved out of the harbor and were afraid they would be attacked. If riflemen were on the hilltops and buildings, they could pick off soldiers inside the fort without ever showing themselves. Anderson decided to take action on his own. On December 26, 1860, Anderson and his men took boats across the harbor and took over the unfinished fort during the dead of night.
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African American Soldiers at the Battle of Fort Wagner, 1863 Introduction
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Update to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation’S Civil War Battlefields
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Civil War Manuscripts
CIVIL WAR MANUSCRIPTS CIVIL WAR MANUSCRIPTS MANUSCRIPT READING ROW '•'" -"•••-' -'- J+l. MANUSCRIPT READING ROOM CIVIL WAR MANUSCRIPTS A Guide to Collections in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress Compiled by John R. Sellers LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON 1986 Cover: Ulysses S. Grant Title page: Benjamin F. Butler, Montgomery C. Meigs, Joseph Hooker, and David D. Porter Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Library of Congress. Manuscript Division. Civil War manuscripts. Includes index. Supt. of Docs, no.: LC 42:C49 1. United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865— Manuscripts—Catalogs. 2. United States—History— Civil War, 1861-1865—Sources—Bibliography—Catalogs. 3. Library of Congress. Manuscript Division—Catalogs. I. Sellers, John R. II. Title. Z1242.L48 1986 [E468] 016.9737 81-607105 ISBN 0-8444-0381-4 The portraits in this guide were reproduced from a photograph album in the James Wadsworth family papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. The album contains nearly 200 original photographs (numbered sequentially at the top), most of which were autographed by their subjects. The photo- graphs were collected by John Hay, an author and statesman who was Lin- coln's private secretary from 1860 to 1865. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. PREFACE To Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War was essentially a people's contest over the maintenance of a government dedi- cated to the elevation of man and the right of every citizen to an unfettered start in the race of life. President Lincoln believed that most Americans understood this, for he liked to boast that while large numbers of Army and Navy officers had resigned their commissions to take up arms against the government, not one common soldier or sailor was known to have deserted his post to fight for the Confederacy.
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South Carolina Brochure Final Jan15.Indd
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Biographies GRADE 11
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The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine
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Archaeological Testing at the Charleston Harbor South Jetty on Morris Island, Charleston County, South Carolina
July 8, 2019 Alan Shirey USACE, Charleston District 69A Hagood Avenue Charleston SC 29403 Re: Archaeological Testing at the Charleston Harbor South Jetty on Morris Island, Charleston County, South Carolina. Dear Mr. Shirey: Enclosed is a digital copy of the revised draft report of Archaeological Testing at the Charleston Harbor South Jetty on Morris Island, Charleston County, South Carolina. Please review the report; we will be happy to address any comments you may have. If you need additional hard copies, please do not hesitate to call. Please let me know if we can be of further assistance. Sincerely, Gwendolyn (Inna) Moore Senior Archaeologist Archaeological Testing at the Charleston Harbor South Jetty on Morris Island Charleston County, South Carolina July 2019 Archaeological Testing at the Charleston Harbor South Jetty on Morris Island Charleston County, South Carolina Revised Draft Report July 2019 Prepared for: U. S. Army Corps of Engineers-Charleston District Charleston, South Carolina Prepared by: David Baluha, RPA Archaeologist/Historian and Inna Moore, GISP, RPA Senior Archaeologist, GIS Specialist Atlanta • Charleston • Fort Collins • Jackson • Nashville • Savannah 1.0 INTRODUCTION The US Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District (USACE), is evaluating possible repairs to the existing south jetty of Charleston Harbor which is located on Morris Island. The terminus of the south jetty is eroding and requires stabilizing. Morris Island is a dynamic barrier island located between Folly Island, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Charleston Harbor in Charleston, South Carolina. Due to its location at the mouth of the Charleston Harbor, Morris Island played a key role in the Civil War providing Confederate troops with unique vantage points from which to defend Charleston.
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