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.

Selfridge, T. O. (Thomas Oliver), 1836-1924 to Andrew H. Foote

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05059 Author/Creator: Selfridge, T. O. (Thomas Oliver), 1836-1924 Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 26, 1861 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 20.1 cm, Width: 25 cm Order a Copy

Selfridge, a commander in the U.S. Navy, writes to Captain Foote to inquire about when supply ships will leave New York, and about Foote's activities outfitting ships for that purpose. Explains how the rebellion breaking out informed him that the country had "many bad men" and comments that "bribery & corruption are our most prominent national sins." Rear Admiral Selfridge commanded the "Mississippi" in 1862.

Selfridge, T. O. (Thomas Oliver), 1836-1924
Foote, Andrew H. (Andrew Hull), 1806-1863

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources