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.

Maitland, Joseph M., 1836-1918 to Bell Wharton

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.10.059 Author/Creator: Maitland, Joseph M., 1836-1918 Place Written: Memphis, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 17, 1863 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 20 cm, Width: 25 cm Order a Copy

Writes to "My Dear Bell" from Fort Pickering. Describes fort conditions, noting that is very different than Camp Chase. Tells her, "Oh how I wish I was only at home long enough to get a few meals and then the loss of Female Society to one who is a lover of the Fair sex is a great deal." Small holes in letter cause minor text loss.

Maitland, Joseph M., 1839-1918
Wharton, Bell, 1843-?
Van Cleve, Horatio Phillips, 1809-1891

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