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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.

Jackson, Richard H., fl. 1861-1865 to Father

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07705.004 Author/Creator: Jackson, Richard H., fl. 1861-1865 Place Written: New York, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 13 May 1861 Pagination: 4 p. ; 20.2 x 25 cm. Order a Copy

He is about to leave Rikers Island and assures his father he is safe and leaves him some instructions. He wants him to call after his weekly salary. He writes he could not rest "until I took and shouldered my musket in defence of my country."

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