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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.

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

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03603.216 Author/Creator: Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878 Place Written: Suffolk, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 March 1863 Pagination: 3 p. : Order a Copy

Writes he and his company wish they could go back to Connecticut to vote on the Conscription Act, which calls for a draft and excuses men who can furnish a viable replacement or pay the government $300. Says he has heard that an officer cannot walk through the streets of Hartford, Connecticut without being deeply insulted. Writes of wounded men being laughed at by some of the same people who encouraged them to enlist. Notes he had a portrait taken.

Coit, Charles M., 1838-1878

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