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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 #: GLC07460.097 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander, 1837-1917 Place Written: Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 9 September 1864 Pagination: 6 p. : envelope Height: 19.5 cm, Width: 15.2 cm Order a Copy

Written near the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. Writes that for about eight or ten days he was filling ill. He is better now and is almost ready to rejoin his unit. He is a little thinner but he is feeling well and can eat hard tack again. Writes that they have recrossed the Chattahoochee River and are now encamped on the north bank. The rest of his brigade has marched through Atlanta, Georgia. There was a guerrilla attack by ten rebel soldiers who captured a wagon of supplies and an ambulance. Writes that they have been busy building houses and fixing up camp. He hopes that they will be able to rest for a while. The Union artillery has stopped firing on the rebels but he thinks they will soon start firing again. Writes that he is unsure whether or not the rebels will continue to fight on. The geography around Atlanta is a large plain. The troops are still building barracks.

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