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.

Smith, Gustavus Woodson, 1821-1896 to Robert E. Lee

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00648 Author/Creator: Smith, Gustavus Woodson, 1821-1896 Place Written: Richmond, Virginia Type: Letter signed Date: October 6, 1862 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 27.5 cm, Width: 18.5 cm Order a Copy

Confederate Major General Smith discusses troop activities and movements, including an attack on Union gunboats. Also discusses a requisition for "negroes to work upon the fortifications under recent act of the Legislature - When we get negroes the works will be finished rapidly to completion." Refers to the request of North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance "for more protection for the eastern portion of the state." Writes "The yellow fever at Wilmington will prevent the enemy from attempting anything in that quarter for some time to come - and during the epidemic the Troops had better be removed except from the fortification." Followed by a portion of a October 15, 1862 letter to George W. Randolph, as this was apparently a retained copy from Smith's notebook. Written from Head Quarters.

Smith, Gustavus Woodson, 1821-1896
Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870
Vance, Zebulon Baird, 1830-1894
Randolph, George W., 1818-1867

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources