On Oct. 29th, 1861, troop carrying steamers embarked on a mission to Port Royal South Carolina, to rid the rebels from the area. The Pennsylvania coal miners, farmers, and tradesmen, who had never been to sea before, immediately began to experience the effects of nausea, and sea sickness, with little to no relief.
"There had been no adequate provision made for so many sick, and the poor fellows were vomiting everywhere they could." - Corporal Nicholas Rice, Company I, 50th PA.
The corporal also remembered dodging several "yorking parties" up in the top bunks.
This was the first day, but when dawn broke the second day, the men found some relief due to the glassy calm seas. One soldier said of a sunset "it is truly a magnificent sight, art cannot paint it, and language becomes powerless in an attempt to portray it".
However, that went to hell and a handbasket quicker than most could say spit. On Nov. 1st, 1861, a terrible storm arose, scattering the union boats. They became separated in the howling gale, and violent seas. One boat, the Winfield Scott, lost her masts, and had her bows stowed in. Water came rushing in somehow, and 500 men from the 50th PA were set to work on the pumps. Benjamin Lyon of Company D, was remembered for rallying the panic stricken men to work at the pumps. Officers and crew members praised the men for quick and efficient work later on.
However, a perhaps foolish mistake occurred, when a captain ordered the men to "lighten the load". Blankets, ammunition, tents, and all manners of equipment were thrown overboard. Stuff they needed! The ship sent up signal rockets, but the biggest ship, the Beinville, could only poke around in the dark, to try and find any survivors if necessary.
The bad weather continued the next day, and the ships captain ordered the American flag be flown upside down to show their distress. Some began to jump in the lifeboats, and one captain was remembered, badly, as to yelling "officers first!" and jumping in the boat in a cowardly fashion.
At two points, the Beinville got close enough to the Scott to have men jump to the other side. But as conditions worsened, an absolutely stupid mistake happened. Somehow, the men were ordered to throw overboard their guns, knapsacks and overcoats, to which the soldiers obliged. Finally, on Nov. 4th, the seas calmed, and all was deemed well. However, when the 50th went to make the landing at Port Royal, they had no ammo, no guns, no coat, no tents, nothing!
After the troops had landed, there were of course raids and "acquiring" of local livestock. After securing himself a fine horse, General Issac Stevens noted a humorous scene in a South Carolina farm field. The farmers fled, leaving behind a massive crop of fresh sweet potatoes. The men from the 50th PA, likely never seen sweet potatoes before, let alone tried them, and the general witnessed the field covered with thousands of soldiers from his brigade, digging madly into the dirt with their bare hands, trying to recover the sweet potatoes.