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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.

Totten, Washington (fl. 1853) to unknown

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03479.21 Author/Creator: Totten, Washington (fl. 1853) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Letter signed Date: 31 August 1853 Pagination: 1 p. ; 25.3 x 20.3 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Totten of the Engineer Department of the U.S. Navy to an unknown recipient. Says his letter to his father (General Joseph G. Totten, the Chief Engineer in Washington) requesting a list of the Lighthouse Board was received that day. Since his father will be away from Washington for several weeks, he has encloses the information (not included).

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