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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, [brother-in-law], and sister

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.037 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Lavergne, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 28 June 1863 Pagination: 6 p. : envelope ; 20 x 24.5 cm. Order a Copy

Thanks his family for the food they sent him and requests that they send him some emery paper (for filing his gun), tea, and pepper. Reports that Rosecrans has taken five or six hundred rebel prisoners to Nashville. Writes that rebels planted two underground shells on the railroad tracks which caused severe damage to the tracks but resulted in no casualties to either army. Discusses spending the fourth of July in Dixie land. He also reports that furloughs will only be granted with a recommendation from a doctor. Pages five and six differ in size from pages one to four.

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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