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.

Mackall, William Whann (1818-1891) to Pierre G. T. Beauregard

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02456.16 Author/Creator: Mackall, William Whann (1818-1891) Place Written: Fayetteville, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: March 5, 1862 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 18 x 27.2 cm. + 1 engraving ; b&w ; 24.2 x 14.7 cm Order a Copy

General Johnston and his men are advancing towards Decatur, Alabama, and will soon join with Beauregard. Johnston's plan was use the rails to get from Decatur to Corinth, Mississippi. While this plan wound up succeeding, it took longer than Johnston expected, due to poor train service. One bust engraving of Mackall included as collateral.

William Mackall was the Assistant Adjutant General for Albert Sydney Johnston. He had just been promoted to Brigadier General. He was captured by the Union Army at Island no. 10 one month later, just three days after Johnston had been killed at Shiloh.

Mackall, William Whann, 1817-1891
Beauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant, 1818-1893

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