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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.

General Committee of Defence [Announces that the Corps of Field Engineers will fortify the defenses of Philadelphia]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02978.04 Author/Creator: General Committee of Defence Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph document Date: circa August 1814 Pagination: 1 p. ; 20.5 x 12.5 cm. Order a Copy

Indicates that a company of artillery will be devoted to building a defense of ports and obstructing the British army's approach during the War of 1812. The company would be outfitted with tools. They would come from the Corps of Field Engineers, which had been raised by the Philadelphia General Committee of Defence and led by Dr. Robert M. Patterson as the chief engineer (see GLC02973.01 and GLC02973.03).

Robert M. Patterson was a professor of natural and experimental philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815

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