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.

Mortimer, Caleb C.E. (1835-1862) Collection of Caleb C.E. Mortimer, 3rd regiment, Massachusetts, artillery [Decimalized .01-.23]

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01898 Author/Creator: Mortimer, Caleb C.E. (1835-1862) Place Written: [various places] Type: Header Record Date: 1861-1862 circa Pagination: 23 items, 9 envelopes Order a Copy

Mortimer was Lieutenant in the 3rd Massachusetts Artillery, covering action in the Peninsula campaign, skirmishing, casualties, picket duty at Yorktown, Hanover and New Bridge. One letter from 1861 describes capture of the "Steam gun." Most letters have been written to his wife. Includes 22 war-date union soldier letters, 9 envelopes, 1 receipt and 1 envelope that used to contain a photograph.

Caleb Mortimer enlisted on 5 September 1861 as a 1st Lieutenant and was commissioned into the Massachusetts 3rd Light Artillery. He was wounded at Gaines' Mill, Virginia on 27 June 1862 and died the next day.

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources