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.

Robertson, James (1742-1814) to David Henley

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 #: GLC02475.13 Author/Creator: Robertson, James (1742-1814) Place Written: Nashville, Tennessee Type: Letter signed Date: 14 April 1797 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket: 20 x 32 cm. Order a Copy

Asks for a response on the subject of corn that he purchased for the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians. There are questions due to some confusion over a payment issue.

Colonel David Henley was a Revolutionary war hero sent to Knoxville to represent the war department, where he played an active role in dealing with the Native American population.
James Robertson, known as "The Father of Middle Tennessee," was one of the major figures in the early history of the region. He acted as brigadier general for a time during skirmishes with the Cherokee, but as violence lessened he became responsible for negotiating treaties with the Chickasaw and Choctaw, and in 1804 was officially made the U.S. Indian agent for the area.

Robertson, James, 1742-1814
Henley, David, 1749-1823

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources