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.

Pierce, Franklin, 1804-1869 to unknown

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03661 Author/Creator: Pierce, Franklin, 1804-1869 Place Written: Concord, New Hampshire Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 October 1862 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 21 cm, Width: 13 cm Order a Copy

Writes concerning his opinion that fighting cannot restore the Union. Comments, "Good & patriotic men have not yet reached your stand point & mine, that no faith can be reposed 'in arms for the restoration of either peace or of the States to the Unity of other days.'" States that he cannot respond to the recipient's suggestions in writing and must see him in person to do this. Notes the rising opposition to the Civil War in the North, "The woe & wailing & hopelessness which arms have brought, are telling upon the public mind at the North, as no argument could."

Pierce, Franklin, 1804-1869
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources