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.

Diamond, Sidney (1922-1945) to Estelle Spero

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09120.090 Author/Creator: Diamond, Sidney (1922-1945) Place Written: Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 15 August 1942 Pagination: 12 p. ; 15.5 x 23 cm. Order a Copy

Diamond clarifies some points from earlier letters, defining what he means be a furlough and also explaining that the training that he had mentioned was referring to training in order to become a sergeant. Sidney describes the process that he has undergone of "changing from an independently thinking individualist of mediocre physical strength to a well disciplined, hardened, automaton willing to throw himself into the enemy without thought of death." Discusses his opinions regarding the use of the bayonet.

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