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.

Welles, Gideon (1802-1878) to William W. McKean

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08908 Author/Creator: Welles, Gideon (1802-1878) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Manuscript letter signed Date: 4 May 1861 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; 25 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Redirects a ship, the Niagara under Captain W.W. McKean, originally sent to blockade Charleston to the Gulf of Mexico to "take measures for instituting and carrying into effect a rigid blockade of the Mississippi and such other ports, especially Mobile, as the force under your command will admit." Sends a copy of President Lincoln's proclamation ordering a blockade (not included). Mentions other ships that will participate. Docketed twice. Marked "Copy."

Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878
McKean, William W., 1800-1865

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