Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 70,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World to soldiers’ letters from World War II and Vietnam. Explore primary sources, visit exhibitions in person or online, or bring your class on a field trip.

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12 October 1780

Hamilton, Alexander (1755-1804)

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Francois Marquis de Barbe-Marbois

To Marbois, the secretary of the French Ambassador, who later served as Intendent of Santo Domingo and minister of finance under Napoleon, under whom he sold Louisiana to the U.S. Hamilton concludes his letter by agreeing with Marbois about America's "feebleness and temporary expedients" in military affairs; and notes that he views "our affairs in a gloomy light." Hamilton ends by mentioning rumors of a peace congress by the neutral powers at the Hague.

GLC00012

24 March 1782

Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826)

Autograph letter signed

Title: To Francois Barbede Marbois

The delay in transmitting to Marbois letters containing his notes on the State of Virginia. Jefferson states that he: "...was obliged by the movements of the enemy to retire from my house at the same time, to which I did not return till the month of August." Further delay was due to a few articles that were part of the collection which had to be sent for from far away.

GLC08029

9 May 1785

Barbé-Marbois, François, marquis de (1745-1837)

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry Knox

Barbé-Marbois, a French diplomat, writes that he is "anxious of laying before [Knox] some matters concerning french officers..."

GLC02437.03142

11 September 1787

Lovell, James (1737-1814)

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry Knox

Discusses the friendship he established with the Chevalier de Longchamps when they were both prisoners of war in 1775. Also refers to his intent to defend Longchamps character in relation to the Chevalier's involvement in the Longchamps-Marbois affair: "You will receive this from the hand of the Chevalier Longchaps [sic]. He was my Prison Mate here 12 years ago, and was treated, for a Time, worse by the British than I have been; afterwards he was for Months in the same Chamber. He was suspected if not known to have been serviceable to the Army at Prospect Hill.

GLC02437.03660

19 May 1803

Monroe, James (1758-1831)

Autograph letter signed

Title: to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Regarding Mr. Marbois' help in negotiating Spanish territory east of the Mississippi River. Maurice Talleyrand-Périgord was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, intermittently, from 1797-1815.

GLC00496.061

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