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.

Semmes, Paul Jones, 1815-1863 to Joseph E. Brown

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00508.11 Author/Creator: Semmes, Paul Jones, 1815-1863 Place Written: Columbus, Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: March 11, 1861 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 25.5 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Semmes's retained copies. Writes to the Governor of Georgia to advise that Jefferson Davis is calling for only 2000 troops from the state of Georgia, instead of the 10,000 volunteers the state had planned to raise. Also advises that Davis planned to make all appointments of general officers in the state troops and gives Brown the opportunity to reconsider his commission of Semmes as brigadier general, lest it "might embarrass you and place us in an awkward position." This letter documents the start of the friction between Jefferson Davis and Georgia Governor Joseph Brown that lasted throughout the war. On verso is a March 13, 1861 letter to Governor Brown in which Semmes states that he has received his commission and will leave for Savannah shortly.

Semmes, Paul Jones, 1815-1863
Brown, Joseph Emerson, 1821-1894
Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources