Scope and Content Note
The papers of James D. Lee (1844-1910) span the years 1852-1890, with the bulk of the material dating from 1861 to 1866. The collection documents Lee’s military service during the American Civil War as a United States Navy engineer.
The collection primarily consists of letters from Lee to his fiancée Helena Sutter during his service aboard the Minnesota (steam frigate) in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Lee describes encounters with blockade runners, an attack on the Minnesota by the Confederate torpedo boat Squib, the events of the First and Second Battles of Fort Fisher, and interactions with African American sailors. A December 7, 1863, letter includes a secondhand account of the Battle of Hampton Roads as told to Lee by his shipmates. After the Minnesota was decommissioned in February 1865, Lee transferred to the Pontoosuc (gunboat) until the end of the war and then served on board the Rhode Island (side-wheel steamer) until November 1866. Postwar letters to Helena Sutter describe the Rhode Island's trips to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. The collection also contains a small amount of correspondence from other family and friends. Additional items include a military pass to Fort Monroe in Virginia, a prayer book belonging to Helena Sutter’s sister Mary, bills and receipts, and event programs.