Logs and mementos of Jesse Sherwood of Missouri and Chicago, who served as a surgeon’s steward during the Civil War on the gunboat USS Somerset, mostly off the coast of Florida. Contains details of war experiences off Florida and Cuba, including attacking and capturing a Southern ship, shelling towns, taking possession of encampments and helping onboard refugees and fleeing slaves. Also, personal comments on daily life on shipboard, of his pleasure in eating, drinking and smoking cigars, and of often going ashore on hunting and fishing expeditions.

Includes three medals, his resignation letter, pension documents and information on the fate of the Somerset. Also, some biographical sketches and a folio album of photographs of Sherwood and his family, a carte de visite and a daguerreotype of an unidentified woman.