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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 (fl. 1837-1903) to his parents, brother-in-law, and sister

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.112 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Hardeeville, South Carolina Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 26 January 1865 Pagination: 2 p. : envelope ; 20.5 x 12.5 cm. Order a Copy

Writes that he is not in camp and is feeling much better. His diarrhea has gone away thanks to some of the berries he ate. The weather has been very bad, there is a lot of mud which will prevent the army from moving very far. The Union scouts found Grahamville, South Carolina to be evacuated but encountered a rebel force west of the village and were forced to withdraw. The mail is very irregular. Writes that South Carolina has always been viewed as a "dank place." A small note is included that states a colonel had to sell some of the family's butter while in Nashville. The colonel gave him some of the money.

Lysander Wheeler, a farmer from Sycamore, Illinois, enlisted in the Union Army on August 7, 1862 as a private. He was mustered into Company C of the 105th Illinois infantry and later promoted to sergeant. Wheeler was mustered out on June 7, 1865.

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