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.

Gibbs, Alfred, 1823-1868 to F. S. Cozzens

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05033 Author/Creator: Gibbs, Alfred, 1823-1868 Place Written: Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 March 1864 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 20.8 cm, Width: 27.2 cm Order a Copy

Written from camp near Culpeper. Missed Cozzens on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. On the train to Washington, sat beside a Presbyterian parson. Told the parson he was a brevet Bishop in the Army of the Potomac. Notes that the parson was respectful in consequence, but drank a large amount from Gibbs's canteen. Writes, "I can't be funny under any circumstances... They have just sent the best part of my brigade, and left me here to watch the [river?]." Requests tacks. Wishes he had "redeye" instead of "'certain death' suttler whiskey."

Gibbs, Alfred, 1823-1868
Cozzens, F. S., fl. 1864

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources