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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.

Seddon, James A. (James Alexander), 1815-1880 to Frank H. Alfriend

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05344.05.02 Author/Creator: Seddon, James A. (James Alexander), 1815-1880 Place Written: Richmond, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 3 June 1867 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 20.2 cm, Width: 24.9 cm Order a Copy

[Former CSA Secretary of War] Answering Alfriend's request for information about Jefferson Davis for a biography. He relates some of Davis' career in U. S. politics (from 1845 - 1860), including his time in the House of Representatives and Senate, his service in the Mexican War, and as Secretary of War. He also tells Alfriend of a few written sources he might check but notes: "No other sources of information occur to me at this time, as I suppose the Archives of the Late Conf[ederate] Gov[ernmen]t would not be accessible to you."

Alfriend, Frank Heath, 1841-1887

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