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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 family]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07460.043 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Lavergne, Tenessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 10 August 1863 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 25 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Wheeler advises his brother-in-law Darius not to return to the Army. He writes that the soldiers weren't able to draw soft bread because the baker had gotten drunk and later arrested. Reports that Captain Mason, who was replaced by Captain Culver, is planning to resign.

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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