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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.

Southgate, William Wallace, 1834-1896 to R. W. Southgate

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02617 Author/Creator: Southgate, William Wallace, 1834-1896 Place Written: Fairfax County, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 January 1863 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 20 x 12.4 cm. Order a Copy

Written by a soldier in the 12th Vermont Militia. Argues that soldiers generally oppose the emancipation of enslaved people. Mentions James Ewell Brown [Jeb] Stuart's Cavalry charge upon them but says it did not turn into anything as they were rerouted. Envelope dimensions 6.5 x 10.8 cm.

Graphic language warning: Includes expletive racial slurs when referring to Black people.

Stuart, Jeb, 1833-1864
Southgate, William Wallace, 1834-1896

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