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.

Williams, Jonathan (1750-1815) to Robert M. Patterson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02978.13 Author/Creator: Williams, Jonathan (1750-1815) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 17 September 1814 Pagination: 1 p. : address ; 25.5 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses expanding the Corps of Field Engineers & Pioneers. Hopes Patterson, the chief engineer, has decided to become the first captain, which Williams asked of him in GLC02978.12, and will help decide who else become officers. Claims Patterson's background as a professor will make him a good captain and cause their defense program to be successful, and consequently expand.

Robert M. Patterson was a professor of natural and experimental philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Jonathan Williams was the chairman of the Committee of Defence.

Williams, Jonathan, 1750-1815
Patterson, Robert M. (Robert Maskell)., 1787-1854

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