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.

Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, Marquis (1738-1805) to Lord Sydney

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04336 Author/Creator: Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, Marquis (1738-1805) Place Written: London, England Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 26 April 1785 Pagination: 2 p. : docket ; 23.5 x 18.4 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Cornwallis, the defeated general at Yorktown, as Constable of the Tower of London for military affairs to Lord Sydney as Home Secretary in the Pitt Government. Understands that Lord Sydney wants him to explain his sentiments of Colonel Hamilton. Proceeds to give a very favorable report of Hamilton's character and actions in the Revolutionary War. Says Hamilton is now reduced to extreme poverty and that the "vast sums" due to him from his claims in America are unheeded. Written from Mansfield Street in London, England.

Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, Marquis, 1738-1805

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