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.

Morey, Charles C., fl. 1830-1865 to mother

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.18.36 Author/Creator: Morey, Charles C., fl. 1830-1865 Place Written: Petersburg, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 December 1864 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 20.2 cm, Width: 25.3 cm Order a Copy

Written from Camp in front of Petersburg, Virginia, "near Fort Hell." Rejoined the Army of the Potomac. Discusses travels from Camp Russell, including twenty-five hours of "severe" suffering, many of which were spent traveling through the snow in open cars: "many men froze their feet others were badly chilled." Describes General Ulysses S. Grant's warning to the rebels not to "shell" the railcars or he will begin shelling Petersburg. Mentions the location of Union and Confederate forces and their proximity to each other, saying that they are located within speaking distance of each other.

Morey, Charles Carroll, ?-1865
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources