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.

McCaleb, Edwin H., fl. 1844-1865 To T.P. Chandler, Esq.

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01594 Author/Creator: McCaleb, Edwin H., fl. 1844-1865 Place Written: Cold Springs, Mississippi Type: Autograph letter signed Date: June 6, 1865 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 25 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

McCaleb thanks Chandler and his family for their kindness while a prisoner of war in the North. He writes that "All good citizens deeply deplore the assassination of Pres. Lincoln... Mr. L -- was a great man and more than that was a good man and countryy [sic] could ill afford to lose his services at this important crisis...." He expresses his concern with Andrew Johnson's use of military courts to try citizens and feels he is "overstepping his oath of office." He protests that turning an ignorant Black person into a self reliant citizen will stump the growth of the South. Finally, he defines miscegenation and says "[i]f such a detestable dogma becomes a law we shall soon have a race of mulattoes as fickle & foolish as the Mongrel population of Mexico...."

McCaleb, Edwin H., fl. 1844-1865
Chandler, T.P., fl. 1865
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources