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.

Mason, James M. (1798-1871) to George F. Gordon

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 #: GLC02469.14 Author/Creator: Mason, James M. (1798-1871) Place Written: Albany, New York Type: Letter signed Date: 26 April 1858 Pagination: 1 p. ; 20.5 x 13 cm. Order a Copy

Informs Gordon that former President John Tyler now lives in "Charles city Court House Virginia," where Tyler's home, Sherwood Forest Plantation, was located.

James M. Mason served as the Confederate Foreign Minister to Great Britain and France, also a United States Senator from Virginia. While he and John Slidell were travelling to England to serve as the Confederate Ambassadors, they were captured by the Union ship Trent while on board a neutral British ship. This event set off the Trent Affair.

Mason, J. M. (James Murray), 1798-1871
Gordon, George F., fl. 1858
Tyler, John, 1790-1862

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources