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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 #: GLC07460.101 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander, 1837-1917 Place Written: Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 27 September 1864 Pagination: 6 p. : envelope Height: 25.2 cm, Width: 20.1 cm Order a Copy

Written near the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. Writes that the weather has been getting a lot cooler especially at night. The change from daytime temperature to nighttime temperature is very similar to that of Kentucky. He is still in the same camp as when he last wrote and he thinks that the army will be staying for a little while in that location. He has been roaming around the southern countryside and really enjoys it. He thinks that his family can fix up their home "southern style" to make it look more attractive. He is thinking of buying a place for his family with what he gets paid and the bounty for joining the army. Writes that the West will become more populous after the war ends. Knows that there are rich men getting richer but hopes they do not forget the lower classes that worked so hard to make them rich. Does not see the poor white people of the South and North as being very different. Writes that his teeth are used up but the troops are finally eating some soft bread.

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