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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.

Duncan, Johnson Kelly, 1827-1862 to Mary Grimshaw Duncan

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02457.05 Author/Creator: Duncan, Johnson Kelly, 1827-1862 Place Written: Buras-Triumph, Louisiana Type: Autograph note signed Date: 5 April 1862 Pagination: Order a Copy

Enemy gunboats attacked, trying to reach New Orleans, then retreated. Writes of "another turn at the Enemy today - six gun boats and four frigates having come up to point of woods below. All gone back again, and well." Written to his wife in New Orleans. Johnson K. Duncan was a Confederate Brigadier General in command of the coastal defenses that protected New Orleans, including Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. Despite a valiant defense, Union gunboats were able to sail past these positions and on to New Orleans on April 24th. On April 29th both New Orleans and Duncan's forces were forced to surrender. One bust engraving of Duncan included as collateral.

Written at Fort Jackson.

Duncan, Johnson Kelly, 1827-1862
Duncan, Mary Grimshaw, fl 1862

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