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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.

Shirley, William (1694-1771) to Samuel Waldo

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.08939 Author/Creator: Shirley, William (1694-1771) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Manuscript letter signed Date: 28 October 1747 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; 32 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses orders for a discharge of the majority of the troops under Waldo's command. States that he should only keep a few hundred that will be necessary for the defense of the garrison at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia in Canada. Also mentions that he should have his junior officers collect all of the arms and accoutrements of the discharged soldiers and gives further instructions in regards to the discharged men.

Shirley, William, 1694-1771
Waldo, Samuel, 1695-1759

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