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.

Oves, William, fl. 1862-1896 to his sister

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02829.17 Author/Creator: Oves, William, fl. 1862-1896 Place Written: Hampton Roads, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 March 1862 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 24.7 cm, Width: 19.6 cm Order a Copy

Seems to have been written during the build up for the Peninsula Campaign. Left New York on Monday last and arrived on Wendesday in Hampton Roads. Says there are many war vessels in the harbor as an expedition is ready to go up the river to Yorktown and other places along the James River. Expects they will go up the river the middle of next week. Reports there were 14 or 15 steamers with 20,000 men in the harbor yesterday. More are on the way. Says there is 115,000 troops in the area. Wanted to see Bill Mayberry of the National Guard, but they were not there yet. References several of the Allen brothers, but says he has no news of them. Written at Fortress Monroe while aboard the USS "Patroon".

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources