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.

Williams, Jonathan (1750-1815) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.07457 Author/Creator: Williams, Jonathan (1750-1815) Place Written: Mount Pleasant, Maine Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 05 September 1800 Pagination: 2 p. : address : docket ; 23.6 x 18.9 cm. Order a Copy

Williams discusses Knox's business affairs and debts. Williams explains to Knox that he would decline a military commission from President Adams, meaning no disrespect. Williams says, "In serious truth I had rather have a civil than a military station, tho' were I 15 years younger and a war impending I would prefer it to all this."

Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Adams, John, 1735-1826

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