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.

Cook, Gustave, 1835-1897 to Eliza Cook

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02570.09 Author/Creator: Cook, Gustave, 1835-1897 Place Written: Bowling Green, Kentucky Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 28 October 1861 Pagination: 4 p. : Order a Copy

Writes that he is bored and that nothing is interesting happens. He and a friend (John Weston) have decided to take turns writing home to keep their families posted. Reports that Sam Glascock is very ill but tells Eliza to be careful who she tells. He writes, "Tell all the kin howdye and my friends also. I have not had the first letter from Texas yet except the one by Mr. Kendall. Why don't you all write to me?" He continues, "Well old lady you have not written me the first letter yet and I must punish you for it, so just look out for plenty more from me every week or so until you do write. I know no better way to punish you than to make you read my letters." Written at Camp Johnson.

Cooke, Gustave, fl. 1861-1865

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