Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

McSherry, Eliza (b. 1829) to Henry F. McSherry

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.21.11 Author/Creator: McSherry, Eliza (b. 1829) Place Written: Littlestown, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 9 September 1861 Pagination: 2 p. ; 20.3 x 12.6 cm. Order a Copy

Extremely faded letter with water damage and mold. Written by Eliza to her brother Henry in the U.S. Navy. Seems that several of Henry's friends have been killed. She says she especially is sad at the loss of Holmes and tries to console him. Says "I heard a lady say the other day that she would prefer her friend to be killed ... rather than wounded and suffering on the battlefield. that is terrible indeed." Updates him on friends and family.

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