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.

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878 to his family

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03603.076 Author/Creator: Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878 Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 5- February 8,1862 Pagination: 4 p. : Order a Copy

The first part of this letter (5 February) is written while still onboard the Sentinel while the second part (8 February) is written after the Battle of Roanoke. Reports that the 8th Regiment sustained no loses. Coit was not very engaged in this fight and writes only of musket balls being fired over the heads of his regiment after going ashore. Discusses the color guard's flag being flown over the conquered rebel fort. A note at the end says "Oh if I could see you all to night I can now assure you that there is no fun in fighting…"

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources