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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.

Bell, Grove L., 1844-1863 to sister

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08913.04 Author/Creator: Bell, Grove L., 1844-1863 Place Written: Loudon Valley, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 25 November 1862 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 20.1 cm, Width: 25 cm Order a Copy

Received a letter night before last. Have not had much time to sleep. Happy to receive mail; "had it not have been for that barrel, I should not have been here now." "Living pretty hard" at the moment. Have built log huts. Very cold while standing guard. Asks for new boots and emphasizes just how much he wants them. Fireplace in the camp reminds him of his fireplace at home. Asks to hear about the quarry. Asks for stamps, paper, and "a little hunk of black thread."

Bell, Grove L., 1844-1863

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