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.

Wood, Matthew (fl. 1862-1865) to Sarah Wood

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02176.12 Author/Creator: Wood, Matthew (fl. 1862-1865) Place Written: Knoxville, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 11 January 1864 Pagination: 4 p. ; 20.1 x 23.8 cm. Order a Copy

Written from near Knoxville, Tennessee to his wife. Mentions his good appetite and ragged clothes, but quartermaster is requisitioning more, rumors that Generals Ulysses S. Grant and John Foster will soon defeat James Longstreet's men. Deliberates whether to send money to his wife. Mentions sending a verse by a Kentucky soldier. Talks again of religion and happiness that their deceased children are in a better place. Written on military stationery with the image of a camp.

Matthew Wood served in the Ohio Ninth Cavalry with Burnside's army in Tennessee, and William T. Sherman's army at the burning of Atlanta and capture of Savannah.

Wood, Matthew, fl. 1861-1865
Wood, Sarah, fl. 1862-1865
Grant, Ulysses S., 1822-1885
Longstreet, James, 1821-1904
Foster, John Gray, 1823-1874

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources