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.

Smith, C.M. (fl. 1862) to Randall Lee Gibson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04501.018 Author/Creator: Smith, C.M. (fl. 1862) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 20 January [1862] Pagination: 3 p. ; 25.5 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Resigning his position as a Surgeon in Gibson's regiment due to poor health. Smith notes that his fellow surgeon [Charles] Langenbacker is already "casting a wistful eye" upon Smith's post. He also discusses the parish crop, noting that some planters are planning to ship their produce to Texas where sugar and molasses are bringing ten and fifty cents a gallon, respectively.

Though the date written on this letter is January 1861, the content and date of Gibson's commission suggest it was written in January 1862.

Gibson, Randall Lee, 1832-1892

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