Letter from John Hancock to the Governor and Council of the State of Virginia regarding the movement of the British fleet from New York. Hancock reports that the fleet is suspected to be bound for South Carolina.
Letter from Mann Page, Jr. to John Page regarding the location of various commanders of the Continental Army, including General Washington and General Gates, and their troops.
Letter from Charles Petit to Nathanael Greene regarding the war in America and Europe’s dependence on the United States asserting their dominance over England.
Letter from John Laurens to Francis Kinloch regarding foreign travel in Europe and the state of American political affairs. Laurens proceeds to outline the South Carolinian officials who are to attend the General Congress gathering that will soon take place in Philadelphia or New York.
Letter from William Pierce to William Davies regarding the general status of the American troops; in Charleston and Virginia in particular. In the last paragraph Pierce expresses the imminence of an attack.
These images are from the Signal Book kept by Union Officer Ensign LaRue P Adams during the Siege of Charleston between August and September of 1863. Note: Some pages were not scanned because they were blank and contained no content or were ripped out and were therefore unavailable for digitization.
These images are from the daybook of James Poyas, a Charleston merchant. Entries begin in February 1760 and end in April of 1765. James Poyas was born in 1736 to Jean Louis (anglicized to John Lewis) Poyas and Marie Jourdan. He married Elizabeth Portall in 1755, and they had one child, a daughter, Elizabeth. In 1767, James moved his family to London. They never returned to America to live. His daughter married an Englishman, Joseph Higginson; and James died in Bath in 1799. Beyond these few facts, very little is known about James and his family. Research is, of course, on-going. The daybook itself is one of a set. The South Carolina Historical Society holds the companion book, which covers from 1764-1766, so there is some overlap. The description of the entries list the names and, in the parentheses behind them, their account numbers. This will serve as a differentiation between people (fathers and sons, cousins, etc.) with the same or similar names. Due to slight variations in spelling (for which we have attempted a reconciliation), it will also serve as a confirmation that one is in fact looking at the same person throughout the ledger. Some of the miscellaneous account numbers, not associated with people, are: account 3 -- the store itself; account 31 -- cash; account 87 -- Indico [Indigo?] and account 81 -- Bonds and Notes. Occassionally there are entries with no account numbers next to them. These seem to be have been entered into another ledger (petty cash?) but no account number has been listed in our corresponding description, even if that person had (or would have) an account.
Letter from Royal Flint to Nathanael Greene. Includes a discussion of the discrepancies in the mail and missed communications. Flint goes on to discuss the political nature of the country as was told to him by General Greene. Flint continues to discuss the general nature of the politics and questioning the decisions made by the government; saying the people have developed a habit of complaining, the need to regulate the currency, and refrain from continuing to alter the constitution.He also addresses the issue of pay, advocating the compensation of the army. He then discusses the lack of supplies for General Greene's troops. Flint goes on to state that Colonel Wadsworth is tiring of his role in the legislature.
Caption: 'Folley's (sic) Battery, near the lighthouse, at Charleston, South Carolina.--from a sketch by A.P. Palmer, 21st South Carolina Volunteers.--[see page 79.]' [full date January 31, 1863.]
Caption: 'Military Prisons at Charleston, South Carolina.--Sketched by Lieutenant F. Milward--[See Page 110]' the Jail and Work-House are both identified. [full date February 18, 1865.]
Caption (in German): 'Die im Ban [Bau] begriffene schwimmende Batterie in Charleston, S.C.' [The nascent Floating Battery in Charleston, S.C.] [full date February 16, 1861.]
Charleston Earthquake scene. Possibly from Cook's Earthquake Views, no.63. William Ravenel, East Battery, rear. Written on front, at bottom: 'Wm Ravenel's, East Battery.'
Caption: 'Cook's Earthquake Views of Charleston and Vicinity. Taken after the 31st of August, 1886. No.129, College as torn down.' Handwritten at bottom, front: 'Charleston Earthquake views - Charleston College. Both wings gone.'
