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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.

Tilghman, Tench, 1744-1786 to Samuel Shaw

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.01597 Author/Creator: Tilghman, Tench, 1744-1786 Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 11 September 1782 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 29.4 cm, Width: 17.7 cm Order a Copy PDF Download(s): Download PDF

Writes, "It appears clearly to me that the order forbidding the issue of Rum to Women does not extend to Mrs. [Margaret] Corbin - Granting provision at all, to Women who are followers of the Army, is altogether matter of courtesy, and therefore the commanding General may allow them such a Ration as he thinks proper - But Mrs. Corbin is a pensioner of Congress, and therefore, upon procuring the Resolve made in her favor - Genl. [Henry] Knox, as commandant, may direct the Contractor to commute her Retained Rations of liquor - perhaps it would not be prudent to give them to her all in liquor - So much. Seriously and officially. Now Friend Samuel, how comes it, that a woman with an old decrepit Husband should be far advanced in pregnancy?" See GLC02437.01591, GLC02437.01595, and GLC02437.01611 for related information.

Tilghman, Tench, 1744-1786
Shaw, Samuel, 1754-1794
Corbin, Margaret Cochran, 1751-1800
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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