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.

Jackson, Henry (1747-1809) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04518 Author/Creator: Jackson, Henry (1747-1809) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 21 February 1790 Pagination: 4 p. : docket ; 24.2 x 18.5 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses the outcome of a hearing concerning a mutual acquaintance's petition. Writes that Knox's "plan for the militia is not very well received here - altho every one speaks highly of it, as it appears on paper, and confess, that it is a masterly performance, & discovers great genius & knowledge in military arrangements, and that such a militia would be superior to any in the world - some doubt the necessity of such a militia in the country, but they are for keeping up a sufficient number of standing troops to answer all the purposes of government."

Jackson, Henry, 1747-1809
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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