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.

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

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.14.57 Author/Creator: Damuth, Dolphus, fl. 1839-1913 Place Written: Morganza Bend, Louisiana Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 26 May 1864 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope : Height: 14 cm, Width: 23 cm Order a Copy

Has been helping to write out papers, although it is not his job as an orderly. The men have been assigned garrison duty along the river, and Damuth suspects they will end up near New Orleans. Speculates about visiting home. Mentions a friend who is at Vicksburg as "a detective…he wearse good clothes and has an easy time." Writes that "we are waiting anxiously to see if Grant is going to whip out the rebel Lee," and that if this doesn't happen, "old Abe will have to call for more men."

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources