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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.

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Year

Sub-era

29 March 1813

Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866

Autograph letter signed

Title: To Henry Dearborn

Determination of army rank

GLC08048

15 August 1812

Mooers, Benjamin, fl. 1812

Letter signed

Title: To Henry Dearborn

Account of British troops in Quebec and Upper Canada

GLC08049

04 May 1813

Jesup, Thomas S., 1788-1860

Autograph letter signed

Title: To Morgan Lewis

The loss of troop movement correspondence to British and Indian forces. Fort Meigs "is closely invested by a British and Indian force, " and the express mail, which may contain notice of intended American troop movements was captured

GLC08050

1918

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Autograph manuscript signed

Title: Captain Hugh Knyvett an Australian Galahad

The honor of Captain Hugh Knyvett, " an Australian Galahad," a World War I hero. Roosevelt contrasts him with the "mischievous weaklings, who clamor for peace without victory"

GLC08051

10 October 1922

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Typed letter signed

Title: To George Lorimer

Disputes with Theodore Roosevelt

GLC08052

28 August 1955

X, Malcolm, 1925-1965

Typed letter signed

Title: To Elijah Muhammad

Muslim Temple activities in Harlem and Boson: "I have four brothers now working as assistents, alternating. This keeps from causing the people to be bored..."

GLC08053

1873

Object

Title: The Great Seal of the Confederacy

Very rare silver medal strike from the original plate made ca. 1863. In original case

GLC08054

1861/05/02

Hall, Edward H., fl. 1860-1917

Autograph letter signed

Title: to: "My dear Sister."

GLC02234.02

1861/05/10

Hall, Edward H., fl. 1860-1917

Autograph letter signed

Title: to: "My dear Mother."

GLC02234.03

January 20, 1821

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848

Letter signed

Title: to Aaron Hobart

Encloses "a copy of the Journal of the Federal Convention," in accord with a congressional resolution issued on 19 January 1820. Written from the Department of State.

GLC06313.04.099

1864

Lilly, Eli, fl. 1864

Book signed

Title: Cavalry Tactics. In three parts. School of the Trooper....

Many fold-outs including bugle calls. Binding incorrectly reads "1841" [sic]. The parts are: Dismounted, Mounted and Evolutions of a Regiment. Rest of title: "School of the Trooper, of the Platoon, of the Squadron, and the Evolutions of a Regiment." The book has been dated on the titlepage January 23, 1865, Gravelly Springs, Ala. The book covers all situations involved in being a soldier in the US Cavalry, from the proper was to carry oneself and ones weapons to the proper deportment when mounted. The book is separated into three sections: Dismounted, Mounted, Evolutions of a Regiment. 120…

GLC07566.01

December 13, 1861

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Written on patriotic stationery. Shifflet hopes that Johney will be well soon. He got paid today, twenty-three dollars, and "will send you all I can spar." He encourages his wife to persevere until he returns, "if I ever doo." They "expect a fight everday" but "they are in a vary good place now" and he has plenty to eat. Scribbles on verso of second page, delicate, tear along fold in middle.

GLC02174.01

January 1862

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Shifflet cried upon reading her last letter, glad to hear that the family was well. He reports that "our union men have gain[ed] another greate victory on cumberland river" though the men "had to dis mount from thare horses and fight on foot." He explains that if they "git green river and bowlingreen whip out we will git to come home." The Confederates came within a mile of his regiment's pickets and burnt down a railroad depot. The soldiers wanted to go see "the rebbles" but the Captain didn't allow it. He wants to hear from her every week as it does him "a heepe a good" to get her…

GLC02174.02

March 11, 1862

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Written on patriotic stationery. Shifflet was very thankful to receive the box of chicken, pies, and cakes she sent as he "had nothing fit to eat for three weeks" and "it puts me in mind of home." He expects to see the family very soon if all goes as expected though "the prospect is now that we will have a fight." The Confederates attacked their picket lines the night before and his regiment stood picket twice but the "rebbles didn come" and it rained "as hard as I ever seen it." He believes "thar is a heep more danger to stand picket" than to fight on the battlefield. His regiment is…

GLC02174.03

August 19, 1862

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Fanny Shifflet

Shifflet encourages his daughter to "be a good girl and mind your mother" and to "go to school ever chance you git." He asks her to look after the other children, Patsy, Mariah, and Jonney and promises to send money so that Fanny may have new clothes. He heard "not five minets ago that thar is was one hundred and eighty thousand [Confederates] a coming rite on us so we will hav to fall back to nashville in short order." He expects "some hot times soon" but says that he "shant fight much moore my self." Written at Camp Boiling Fork.

GLC02174.04

October 6, 1862

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Written in pencil on patriotic stationery. Shifflet asks his wife to write as soon as she receives the money he has sent as he worries it is lost. He was nearby when George Ennis was shot and "my cap box was shot off of my belt and fore bullets holed in my blouse and my gun barrel [was] shot off." Stunned, Shifflet had to leave the field but he later "got another gun and went back but the rebbles" ran and his regiment "whip[ped] them badly by that morning." He says the Confederates failed to kill him but they "will never come enny nerer without kilen me." His leg was sore for two weeks…

GLC02174.05

December 22, 1862

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Shifflet was unhappy to hear that his wife is "striping tobacco for I donte want you to hav to work for noboddy but your self." He has "but one oald shirt and hit [it] is full of holes and no socks a tall." He asks for descriptions of the children and about how things are going at home. He tried to get home for Christmas but he "will hav to take sowbelly and hav a crackers for my Chrismas dinner." He reports that "our men had a mity hard fight in virginia" and claims that "the war wood bin over if oald lincoln had let the negro question alone." He continues "if he [Lincoln] were "in hell…

GLC02174.06

February 8, 1863

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Shifflet received Fanny's ring and will keep it until he goes home, "if I live to git home." He will go home the next time he is paid "if I can git off enny way a tall." His division is "alooking for another big fight in a few days" and has "bin a skirmishing for four days." His regiment must "go on picket ever other day [and] we hav to go on to morrow." He wants "to come home the worst in the world" and says he thinks "the hold [whole] army is tired."

GLC02174.07

February 13, 1863

Shifflet, Hillary, 1823-1863

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Jemima Shifflet

Shifflet went out with a forage team today and they are "as tired as I am of the war." He declares that "this onholy war wood a bin over if oald Lincoln wood a let the negros alone I wish he had forty the blackest negroes in the South tide to him." He describes his shock at how the soldiers steal from local farmers and was especially upset when it happened to a "poor widow woman with fore little children…she beg[ged] them to not take her things for her little children wood starve if tha took her provishion but tha went ahead and took."

GLC02174.08