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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 Maria Damuth

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.14.55 Author/Creator: Damuth, Dolphus, fl. 1839-1913 Place Written: Alexandria, Louisiana Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 30 April 1864 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 32 cm, Width: 20.5 cm Order a Copy

Describes being put on emergency picket outside town two days before. Damuth enjoys standing guard and complains only of the lack of blankets during the night. Tells of his fears during the night, wondering "which one of us had got to fall this time," and writes that his fear of death only grows stronger with each battle. Finds the "big scare" humorous because during the frantic change of camps "they piled every thing up together" and many soldiers lost their belongings. Writes about the surprise of discovering a silk handkerchief in the pocket of one of his shirts while doing his washing. Two freemen have been hired as cooks.

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