DeWitt Clinton Lewis papers, 1847-1899 (bulk, 1861-1864).

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DeWitt Clinton Lewis papers, 1847-1899 (bulk, 1861-1864).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28413829

Letters and papers, 1861-1864, 1883, 1898-1899, re life in S.C. during the Civil War for a soldier in the Union Army. Places represented include Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, Edisto Island, James Island, in S.C., as well as Florida and elsewhere. Transcribed copies of letters, 19 Nov. 1861 - 24 July 1864, also available. Letters from Capt. Lewis to his wife, Sarah, in West Chester, Pa., relating to his activities and impressions of South Carolina during the Civil War. Although Lewis wrote of the fresh fruit and vegetables available locally in Beaufort District, S.C. (15 Dec. 1861), many letters note the poor quality of food supplied by the Army, including letter, 12 Sept. 1862, re suppression of mutiny within his regiment on Hilton Head Island which began in protest against a diet of spoiled meat during the preceding two months. Letter, 3 Aug. 1862, describes Beaufort, S.C., whose population was chiefly composed of "contrabands" or African American freedmen, and notes arrival of "Government Agents" and female teachers "that profess to be attending to the wants of [the] Negro but who in reality are robbing the Negro and Uncle Sam at the same time..."; a frequent topic is Lewis' disdain for able-bodied men who avoided military service (28 June 1863), as well as for "bounty men," short term soldiers who received a cash reward for enlistment, but particularly for the eleven deserters mentioned, 29 Nov. 1863. In a letter dated 8 Mar. 1863, Lewis revises his estimation of African American soldiers. During the summer of 1864, the 97th Regt. left S.C. for Petersburg, Va., where Lewis reunited with friends and relatives from Penn. (24 July 1864). Letters frequently describe souvenirs sent home to his wife, mainly sea shells, palmetto canes, boards of palmetto trunks which could be turned into boxes, and live mocking birds which, if they survived the trip, could be sold for a profit in the North. Originally included among the correspondence was a bone ring presented to Lewis by his men, inscribed with names of battles in which the 97th participated [now housed at McKissick Museum].

126 items (1 document box).

University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7259123

University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Lewis, DeWitt Clinton, 1822-1899

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68w4dmt (person)

Captain serving in Union Army, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 97th Regiment, Company F, stationed chiefly in S.C. during Civil War; resident of West Chester, Pennsylvania; husband of Sarah Winterbottom Lewis; he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service during fighting, 16 June 1862 near Secessionville, S.C.; his three-year term of enlistment ended 3 Oct. 1864. From the description of DeWitt Clinton Lewis papers, 1847-1899 (bulk, 1861-1864). (University of South Carolina). WorldCat re...

Lewis, Sarah Winterbottom

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qz3b25 (person)

United States. Army

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6km312r (corporateBody)

The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which wa...