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.

Brown, Joseph Emerson, 1821-1894 to Madison Starke Perry

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01430.04 Author/Creator: Brown, Joseph Emerson, 1821-1894 Place Written: Milledgeville, Georgia Type: Letter signed Date: January 8, 1861 Pagination: 1 p. : docket Height: 25 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Georgia Governor Brown writes to Florida Governor Perry about the importance of taking control of Pensacola, Florida. He acknowledges "that it will be regarded as a bold move, but it is better to look danger full in the face, than by inaction to give our enemies the advantage." He explains that it is "a key position" because "a strong Naval force there may control the commerce of the Gulf of Mexico" and that "its occupation by federal troops would place us in imminent danger." Marked private.

Brown, Joseph Emerson, 1821-1894
Perry, Madison Starke, 1814-1865

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources