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Louis James Boyd Civil War-era letters, 1862-1871.
Amount:
0.25 cubic ft.
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement:
Chronological.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:
Louis James M. Boyd served as Third Assistant Engineer aboard the U.S. gun boat "Albatross" from March 6, 1862 until his discharge from service on August 26, 1863. During his service, Boyd witnessed many Union naval operations carried out along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River. For the duration of the Civil War, the "Albatross" patrolled the Gulf Coast, raiding Confederate salt works along the Florida panhandle between Pensacola and St. Andrews.
During the war, Boyd wrote often to his wife, Jannie. The couple met in Cedar Key, Florida, and later moved to Baltimore, Maryland. Boyd died on October 8, 1916.
Summary:
This collection includes letters written by Louis James M. Boyd to his wife, Jannie, from April 23, 1862 to August 1871. While the correspondence is personal, most of the letters focus on various aspects of the Navy's blockade of Southern ports. There is mention of campaigns along Florida's Gulf Coast and up the Mississippi River. Of interest are those letters dealing with attacks on Port Hudson, Louisiana, and assaults on salt works between St. Andrews and Pensacola, Florida. The letters also relate contemporary opinions of Black men serving in the Union Army, the status of Maryland during the war, and the Southern response to the presence of the Union Navy.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Photocopies.
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Originals in custody of donor.
Associated Materials:
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
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Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
United States. Navy. United States. Navy
African American soldiers. Blockade Mexico, Gulf of Civil War (Fla.) Gunboats
Florida History Civil War, 1861-1865 Mexico, Gulf of Mississippi River United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 United States History --Blockades Civil War, 1861-1865 United States History --Naval operations Civil War, 1861-1865 United States History --Participation, African American. Civil War, 1861-1865
for detailed listing.