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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.

Archer, William M. (fl. 1863) to Annie [Jeffery]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01896.066 Author/Creator: Archer, William M. (fl. 1863) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 15 November 1863 Pagination: 4 p. ; 19 x 13 cm. Order a Copy

Archer writes on a Sunday morning "when you are all at church listening to Dr. Minnigerade..." to remind Annie of her repeated promises that he'll "never see the form of [her] handwriting again this year...," and for this reason he is writing home for the first time. He continues with a description of his Confederate camp near the Orange County depot, it being the "prettiest" he has stayed in "for many a 'coons age'". William says that he and his comrades dread having to leave their comfortable shelters but admits that "...all must expect such in circumstances as long as there is a Yankee this side of the Potomac." He thinks they will soon march to Fredericksburg, Va., complains about the "obnoxious mud" in the winter time, and mentions that Jim has been assigned to Gen. Heath's Division.

Archer, William Meade, 1836-1924
Jeffery, Anne, fl. 1814-1866

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