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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.

Damuth, Dolphus, fl. 1839-1913 to Damuth family

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.14.38 Author/Creator: Damuth, Dolphus, fl. 1839-1913 Place Written: Louisiana Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 11 October 1863 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope Height: 12.5 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

In two days, the soldier have marched twenty-five miles, "the greatest marching we have ever done." Towards the end of the day's march, Damuth and another soldier fall back from exhaustion and arrive at camp after the rest of the regiment. He describes the countryside of Louisiana as similar to the prairie in Illinois. Soldiers from Indiana are sharing beef they have stolen, despite order against foraging. Citizens in the area have been complaining "aganst the boys taken all thear geese and chickens," but the generals say they cannot stop the men from stealing. The next day, Damuth thinks they will walk twenty miles before they find a place with enough water to camp again.

Damuth, Dolphus, 1839-1913

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