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.

Maitland, Joseph M. (1839-1918) to Bell Wharton

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.10.182 Author/Creator: Maitland, Joseph M. (1839-1918) Place Written: Memphis, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 5 May 1865 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 20.7 x 24.7 cm. Order a Copy

Joe writes to "Dear Darling Bell." Reports on a picnic given by the ladies of St. Peter's Church. "...there must have been as many as 200 couples dancing at one time. The crowd was considerably mixed, and I did not take any part." Comments on a letter he received from a female friend filled with details of a wedding she attended, "...as though that interested me." Remarks how lonely he is "...in the Crowded City."

Joseph Maitland enlisted on 8 August 1862 as a Private. He was mustered into "G" Co. OH 95th Infantry. He was mustered out 31 May 1865 at Memphis, Tennessee.

Maitland, Joseph M., 1839-1918
Wharton, Bell, b. 1843

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