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.

Blair, Samuel (1741-1818) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04671 Author/Creator: Blair, Samuel (1741-1818) Place Written: Germantown, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 6 August 1790 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 22.3 x 19.3 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Reverend Blair to Secretary of War Knox. Blair says his infirmities dating back to his days in the army hinder his ability to work in the "stated customary offices" of his ministry. Requests that Knox help him get a "Chaplaincy in the Congress, on their removal to Philad[elphia]. Mentions that the timing of this letter might be inconvenient as the government prepares to move from New York. "Free" stamped on address leaf with no signature.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Blair, Samuel, 1741-1818

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