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.

Preble, Edward (1761-1807) to Robert Smith

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02497.14 Author/Creator: Preble, Edward (1761-1807) Place Written: Portland, Maine Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 February 1806 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 24 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Commodore Preble recommends Charles Morris as a person to transmit secret government dispatches should they be needed while European powers were at war. Hopes Secretary of the Navy Smith will recommend Morris to President James Madison. Morris had served under Preble on the frigate Constitution and continued to serve on the Constitution during the War of 1812.

Preble, Edward, 1761-1807
Smith, Robert, 1757-1842
Morris, Charles, 1784-1856
Madison, James, 1751-1836

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