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.

Penn, John, 1741-1788 to Samuel Johnson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00184.38 Author/Creator: Penn, John, 1741-1788 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: September 28, 1776 Pagination: 2 p. : address ; Height: 20 cm, Width: 32 cm Order a Copy

Penn writes of his wish that France and Spain would join in fighting Britain and mentions French and Spanish warships. He concludes that "we have too many officers who are not fit even to act as common soldiers in that they have not one spark of honour."

Penn, John, 1740-1788
Johnson, Samuel, 1757-1834

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