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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.

Gordon, S.W., fl. 1846-1871 to Thomas H. Patterson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08519 Author/Creator: Gordon, S.W., fl. 1846-1871 Place Written: Charleston, South Carolina Type: Letter signed Date: 9 February 1863 Pagination: 1 p. : docket Height: 31.8 cm, Width: 20.3 cm Order a Copy

Circular letter signed by Captain Gordon as commander of the USS "Powhatan" to Commander Patterson of the USS "James Adger." Says he has been ordered by the admiral to remind all commanding officers off Charleston of General Order No. 11. Says at the beginning of every month they need to start sending to the commander in chief "a statement in tabular form of the number of contrabands onboard, their rates and the time and terms of their enlistment." Written while aboard the USS "Powhatan".

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