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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.

Wheeler, Lysander, 1837-1917 to his parents, brother-in-law and sister

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.095 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander, 1837-1917 Place Written: Atlanta, Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: August 25, 1864 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope Height: 19.9 cm, Width: 25.8 cm Order a Copy

Writes that the weather is very nice even though the country is filled with rebel shoulders. He thinks it would be a nice place to visit if the inhabitants "were what they ought to be." He has received a hat from his sister Martha and some tobacco from his father. The other troops think that his hat is they best they have seen. States that the army rarely gives out tobacco and that the troops must get some from the enemy when they empty their kettles near the Union camp. Reports that some mail has been lost between Atlanta, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky because some mail cars drove off a bridge into the water. The heavy artillery was moved across the river along with stores, magazines and heavy luggage. They are expecting to move across the river soon. He is unsure what will happen next but expect that this new movement might be a flanking attack on the rebels right to draw them away from Atlanta. Some of the men of the 1st Division were killed during the battle on the 20 August, 1864. Writes about some of the casualties in the 1st Division.

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