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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.

Townsend, David, 1753-1829 [Document regarding the organization of hospital staff at West Point]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.02879 Author/Creator: Townsend, David, 1753-1829 Place Written: West Point, New York Type: Autograph document signed Date: December 31, 1783 Pagination: 2 p. : docket ; Height: 23.3 cm, Width: 18.5 cm Order a Copy

Signed by Townsend and Samuel Adams, both hospital surgeons. Townsend and Adams assert that one hospital mate, one steward who also serves as ward master, and four orderlies will be sufficient staff for the hospital at West Point during the winter. This staff requirement is based on the estimate that twenty "helpless patients" will be at the West Point hospital. The surgeons also note that some members of the invalid corps sometimes need to stay at the hospital.

Townsend, David, 1753-1829
Adams, Samuel, 1745-1819

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