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.

Tucker, Samuel (1747-1833) to Elias Dayton

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02500.11 Author/Creator: Tucker, Samuel (1747-1833) Place Written: Trenton, New Jersey Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 4 May 1776 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 21 x 16.5 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Captain Tucker to Colonel Dayton. References Dayton's letter of 23 April 1776. Says he will lay his recommendations for promotions before the New Jersey Committee of Safety. Says he mentioned Captains Dickinson, Potter, and Bloomfield in his last letter and he hopes that Dayton has heard of the decision made by the committee respecting them. Heard that Dayton's men needed arms and that he could get them with money. Sends along 288 dollars to assist him.

Tucker was a well-known sea captain throughout the Revolution, capturing scores of ships. After the war he eventually moved to Maine and was involved in state government.

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