Transport steamer Fulton

Service of the 54th

Item contributed by Massachusetts Historical Society

Built by the New York and Harve Steam Company in 1855, the SS Fulton transported mail between New York City and Le Harve, France for the US Government. In 1861, the government began using the ship to transport goods for the army from New York to ports along the coast of southern states. On April 15, 1865, the Fulton traveled from New York to Hilton Head and Port Royal, South Carolina.¹

This photograph is included in Captain Luis Emilio’s collection of photographs related to the regiment, now at the Massachusetts Historical Society. 

1. John H. Morrison, History of American Steam Navigation (New York: W. F. Sametz & Company, 1903); “Condition of South Carolina.” Bangor Daily Whig and Courier Bangor, Maine, May 18, 1865.