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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.

Irvine, Charles, 1756-1819 to Alexander Irvine

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01450.023.11 Author/Creator: Irvine, Charles, 1756-1819 Place Written: Staten Island, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: May 14, 1782 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; Height: 22.5 cm, Width: 18.5 cm Order a Copy

Letter written to his brother in Aberdeen, Scotland. Discusses letters received and sent. Informs him that he has finally been able to purchase a promotion and is now a captain in the 57th Regiment. States the price he paid was astonishing but he would not have gotten another chance and would have been a subaltern for years. He paid 2300 pounds and had to do the transaction quietly because there were many older lieutenants in the army who would have given more. He considers himself lucky given his short time in the army. Gives love to family and friends. Postscript states he sent the letter home with Captain Balfour and that if Alexander ever meets him, please receive him as a friend. Charles Irvine was a soldier in the British army during the Revolutionary War.

Irvine, Charles, 1756-1819
Irvine, Alexander, 1754-1844

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