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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.

Allen, George Walter (1842-1912) [Diary aboard the U.S.S. Nantucket]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01006 Author/Creator: Allen, George Walter (1842-1912) Place Written: various places Type: Autograph manuscript signed Date: February-May 1864 Pagination: 1 v. : 120 p. ; 20.8 x 17.6 cm. Order a Copy

Allen was an officer on the USS "Nantucket" during and before the bombardment of Fort Sumter. The diary appears to have been written within days of the actions. Includes manuscript pencil and ink "Sketch of Charleston Harbor and fortifications," and with his drawings of Fort Sumter after its bombardment and the ironclad USS Nantucket. An interesting table at the end lists the damage made by every mortar shot at Fort Sumter from his ship.

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