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.

Diamond, Sidney, 1922-1945 to Estelle Spero

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09120.046 Author/Creator: Diamond, Sidney, 1922-1945 Place Written: Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland Type: Autograph letter signed Date: circa. early summer 1942 Pagination: 9 p. ; 18.5 x 27 cm. Order a Copy

Describes the experience of being subjected to a dose of chloracetophenone (tear gas) in order to demonstrate to the soldiers the value of the gas mask. Outlines the rest of the day's schedule - a class in military customs and the History of chemical warfare, a class on the identification of airplanes, a session during which the company were forced to lay out field wire and telephones and sessions with both the rifle and revolver. Explains the etymological root of the expression, a "gig", meaning a special detail assigned after hours as a mode of punishment

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources