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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 #: GLC07460.113 Author/Creator: Wheeler, Lysander (fl. 1837-1903) Place Written: Robertsville, South Carolina Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 February 1865 Pagination: 2 p. : envelope ; 20.2 x 25.3 cm. Order a Copy

Writes that he and most of the men of the company are doing well. The wood they have been using for their fire turns everything black including their faces. They are camped about 25 [18 miles from Hardeeville, South Carolina to another site then another 7 miles to Robertsville, South Carolina] from where they last were. They advanced through swamps and low-lands. Believes that it is natural for soldiers to write to their mothers. The rest of the men feel the same way.

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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