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.

Irvine, Charles (1756-1819) to Alexander Irvine

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01450.023.12 Author/Creator: Irvine, Charles (1756-1819) Place Written: Staten Island, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 3 August 1782 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 23 x 19 cm. Order a Copy

Writes to his brother in Aberdeen, Scotland. Discusses the mail and that he usually expects to receive letters on the arriving packet boats. States that sending something by private conveyance is certain to not arrive. Mentions his promotion to captain and comments that his rise in ranks was more rapid than he ever could have hoped. Thanks him profusely for helping him financially. Asks for information on family and friends and gives his love. Charles Irvine was a soldier in the British army during the Revolutionary War.

Charles Irvine served in the British Army for fifteen years before going on half pay. But he soon returned, and eventually rose to the rank of major general.
Alexander Irvine was the Eighteenth Laird of Drum. He was involved in a number of financial squabbles during his early life.

Irvine, Charles, 1756-1819
Irvine, Alexander, 1754-1844

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