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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.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 to William Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.00311 Author/Creator: Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 Place Written: New York, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 23 May 1776 Pagination: 1p. : docket : Height: 31.8 cm, Width: 19.2 cm Order a Copy

Indicates that he received William's letter from his wife Lucy, who just arrived in New York with their newborn child. Anticipates New York as "principal seat of war" and worries about his family being in harms way. Mentions that George Washington has gone to meet with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to discuss the current campaign. Welcomes the news that General Horatio Gates has been promoted to major general and been placed in charge of the defense of Boston. Mentions a heavy loss inflicted by a schooner from the West Indies two days earlier. Promises to write more frequently and councils William to move out of Boston should the British attempt to retake it.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Knox, William, 1756-1795
Washington, George, 1732-1799
Gates, Horatio, 1727-1806

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