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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.

Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) to his parents and sister

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.005 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Scottsville, Kentucky Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 13 November 1862 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 18 x 23 cm. Order a Copy

He writes that it took two days to travel from Bowling Green to Scottsville because the roads were rough and the wagons so heavily loaded the wheels had to be chained to go downhill. Comments that men and women, "meager looking whips," are often seen along the road. Observes that most of the townspeople do not side with the Secesh, but did vote for "Southern rights".

Lysander Wheeler, a farmer from Sycamore, Illinois, enlisted in the Union Army on August 7, 1862 as a private. He was mustered into Company C of the 105th Illinois infantry and later promoted to sergeant. Wheeler was mustered out on June 7, 1865.

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