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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.

Brisbin, James S. (James Sanks) (1837-1892) to Edwin M. Stanton

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01504.02.08 Author/Creator: Brisbin, James S. (James Sanks) (1837-1892) Place Written: Washington, D. C. Type: Typed letter Date: 15 February 1866 Pagination: 3 p. ; 26 x 20.2 cm. Order a Copy

Typed and signed as a true copy by Albert L. Mills as First Lieutenant and Adjutant First Cavalry. Captain Brisbin informs Stanton, Secretary of War, of the battles he participated in during the Civil War. Relates in detail injuries he obtained and various events and engagements which marked his service. Includes the details of 1862's Battle of Malvern Hill (described also in GLC01504.01). Refers Stanton to Generals Alfred Pleasanton, Stephen Burbridge, Nathaniel Banks, and Devens (possibly Charles Devens) for other details of his service. These typewritten copies date to circa 1887-1891 based on Mill's rank and assignment at the time.

Nathaniel Prentice Banks (1816-1894) was a prominent anti-slavery politician who was appointed Union General by President Abraham Lincoln. Banks served as a Congressman from Massachusetts and then as Governor of that state, prior to the war. Charles Devens (1820-1891) was a Union general and attorney from Massachusetts. Before the war, he served as a Massachusetts state senator and then as United States Marshal for that state. He later served as Attorney General under President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Mills, Albert L., 1854-1916
Brisbin, James S. (James Sanks),1837-1892
Stanton, Edwin M. (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869
Burbridge, Stephen Gano, 1831-1894
Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss, 1816-1894
Devens, Charles, 1820-1891
Pleasanton, A. J. (Alfred J.), 1824-1897

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