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.

Holly, William H., ?-1864 to Mary Ann Davis

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02165.13 Author/Creator: Holly, William H., ?-1864 Place Written: New Orleans, Louisiana Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 16 November 1862 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 25 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Written at Camp Stevens to a friend. Criticizes the self-interest that seems to taint much of the war and harsh officers who are "inferior in every thing" who "curse and damn you;" however, when they do this, he threatens to report them and they stop. Talks of his attempts to be assigned a "situation," either with a Dr. Steward or with the brigade quartermaster, as a "private soldier does not have any influence, he is looked upon as a mere machine."

Holly, William H., ?-1864

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources