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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.

Cranor, Franklin (fl. 1862-1865) to Delia Slocum

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03791.011 Author/Creator: Cranor, Franklin (fl. 1862-1865) Place Written: Chattanooga, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 21 April 1864 Pagination: 3 p. : envelope ; 21.2 x 27.4 cm Order a Copy

Cranor reports his return to Chattanooga by train. He came through as a guard and didn't have to march. Despite the comfortable passage he reports that most want to return home but he himself does not with to go: "I would not take a discharge if they would offer it to me[.]" He thinks that he will go to the front soon and reports that he got a Henry rifle.

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