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.

Union soldiers dismantling Confederate fort posed on cannon

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05111.01.1011 Author/Creator: Place Written: Petersburg, Virginia Type: Photograph Date: Pagination: 1 photograph 7.9 x 7.9 cm Order a Copy

The image shows Union soldiers sitting on and standing near two cannon, one soldier in the center possibly African-American, with fortification earthworks in the background. Inscription on verso: "Dismantling the Rebel Forts, Petersburg, Va."

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