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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.

Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) Confederate obstructions in the James River, near Drewry's Bluff. [1861-1865 ca.]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05111.01.0376 Author/Creator: Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) Place Written: nr. Drewry's Bluff, Virginia Type: Photograph Date: 1861-1865 ca. Pagination: 1 photograph 9.4 x 11 cm Order a Copy

Title from inscription on verso. Numeric notation on verso: "XII 1116." Image of two or three sunken boats protruding from the shallow water. These were old steamers that were skuttled by the Confederates to obstruct passage. The top halves of the paddle wheels and other parts of the vessels visible above the water.

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