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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.

Cook, Gustave, 1835-1897 to Eliza Cook

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02570.45 Author/Creator: Cook, Gustave, 1835-1897 Place Written: Trenton, New Jersey Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 6 July 1863 Pagination: 12 p. Order a Copy

Writes that his brother Walter has been killed near Chancellorsville, Virginia. Comforts his wife over the loss of their daughter Nellie by saying she is with God and "God has done best. We will cherish her memory." Eliza thinks Cook blames her for Nellie's death. Cook writes a page reassuring her that she is good and able. Offers to have Eliza come to Tennessee to recover. Shares his desire for success in the law once he is through with the war, but would forget it all if his wife needed him. Encourages Eliza to be strong and hopeful for those that are still alive.

Cooke, Gustave, fl. 1861-1865

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