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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.

Poor, Charles Henry (1808-1882) to consul

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03479.37 Author/Creator: Poor, Charles Henry (1808-1882) Place Written: Aboard USS Saranac Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 13 March 1865 Pagination: 1 p. ; 18.7 x 12.3 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Poor as commander of the USS "Saranac" to an unknown consul. Says he would be happy if he would accompany Mr. & Mrs. Phelps on board at 3:30 to take soup with him.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1808, Charles Henry Poor entered the Navy in 1825 and served nearly 30 years at sea. During the Civil War, he commanded the Brooklyn, Roanoke, St. Louis, and Saranac. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1868 and commanded the North Atlantic Squadron. Poor retired in 1870 from that post.

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