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.

Sayles, Sumner (fl. 1862-1868) to Isora Skinkle

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.32.22 Author/Creator: Sayles, Sumner (fl. 1862-1868) Place Written: Natchez, Mississippi Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 September 1863 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 20.3 x 25 cm. Order a Copy

Thanks his sister for the package that she sent him. Inquires if she likes her new mother-in-law. Informs her that he will not be able to get a furlough this year and that he prefers it that way. Writes that he would prefer to wait until he can come home permanently. Believes that the running back and forth only makes "it so much worse than it otherwise would." Discusses a fight between a woman named Mary Gardner and two other gentlemen. Writes, "it is a bad thing to get wounded for ones feelings." The letter has a watermark on the top left hand corner.

Sumner Sayles enlisted as a private on 9 August 1862. He mustered into "H" Co. IL 95th Infantry. He mustered out on 17 August 1865.

Sayles, Sumner, fl. 1862-1868
Skinkle, Isora fl. 1860-1868

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