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.

Murdaugh, William H. (fl. 1850-1863) to William Lewis Maury

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04572.44 Author/Creator: Murdaugh, William H. (fl. 1850-1863) Place Written: Portsmouth, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 8 November 1876 Pagination: 2 p. ; 20.5 x 13 cm. Order a Copy

Murdaugh heard that Maury switched professions from farming to insurance. Comments that if Tilden is elected, "there will be more openings for us [former Confederates] than ever have been since the day of Appomattox." In order to write to Jeff Page (Confederate States Navy Commander Thomas Jefferson Page) in Buenos Aires, Maury must send the letter to England first since no steamers are running to Brazil. CSN Lt. William H. Murdaugh had lost an arm early in the war; he later served at the Norfolk ordnance yard.

Maury, William Lewis, 1813-1878
Murdaugh, William H., fl. 1850-1863
Page, Thomas Jefferson, 1808-1899

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