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.

Ericsson, John, 1803-1889 to editor of the New York World

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06639 Author/Creator: Ericsson, John, 1803-1889 Place Written: New York, New York Type: Letter signed Date: 8 January 1862 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 31.2 cm, Width: 20.1 cm Order a Copy

Wants to correct an "erroneous impression" from an article in his newspaper on his superintending of construction of an ironclad ship (the USS "Monitor") on behalf of Bushnell & Co. Says he is in fact making the ship "to my own plans approved by a special board of naval officers" under an agreement with the Secretary of the Navy dated 4 October 1861. Says he has been joined by "a few loyal and spirited citizens" who think "an impregnable floating battery will prove an important auxiliary at the present crisis."

Ericsson, John, 1803-1889

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources