Our Collection

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.

Gordon, S. W. (fl. 1846-1871) to Thomas H. Patterson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08519 Author/Creator: Gordon, S. W. (fl. 1846-1871) Place Written: Aboard USS "Powhatan" off Charleston, South Carolina Type: Letter signed Date: 9 February 1863 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 31.8 x 20.3 cm. Order a Copy

Circular letter signed by Captain Gordon as commander of the USS "Powhatan" to Commander Patterson of the USS "James Adger." Says he has been ordered by the admiral to remind all commanding officers off Charleston of General Order No. 11. Says at the beginning of every month they need to start sending to the commander in chief "a statement in tabular form of the number of contrabands onboard, their rates and the time and terms of their enlistment."

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