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.

Morris, Charles (1784-1856) to James Reshan

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03479.06 Author/Creator: Morris, Charles (1784-1856) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Letter signed Date: 17 January 1827 Pagination: 1 p. ; 25.3 x 19.9 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Morris as a member of the Naval Commission to Reshan as commander of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Marked as a circular letter. Says the commissioners have not contracted for meat and vegetables for the various navy yards and that the commanders of the yards are supposed to make the requisitions through navy agents and to get the best terms within their power.

Commodore Charles Morris was a U.S. naval administrator and officer whose service extended through the first half of the 19th century. Morris was born in Woodstock, Connecticut, 26 July 1784, and served in the Quasi-War with France, Barbary Wars, and War of 1812. He served as a Navy Commissioner from 1823 to 1827, and as the Chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repairs from 1844 to 1847.

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