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.

Halleck, H. W. (Henry Wager) (1815-1872) to Thomas Miller

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05560 Author/Creator: Halleck, H. W. (Henry Wager) (1815-1872) Place Written: West Point, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 7 January 1836 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 25.5 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Describes his early impressions of West Point. Describes it as "one of most delightful places on earth" in the summer, attracting crowds and steeped in Revolutionary War history that gives the place "a shade of venerable grandeur." In contrast, it is cold, lonely, and monotonous in the winter. He is critical of the institution, writing "The education we acquired is the highest order but the habits usually contracted are decidedly bad... I think it very doubtful about my remaining here to complete the course." Indicates that he recently finished his first year exam. Disapproves those "men of talents & education" who spent their vacation "in drunkenness and rioting" and the lack of discipline enforced by the school.

Thomas Miller was a doctor who became a professor of anatomy and physiology at Columbia College in New York.

Halleck, Henry Wager, 1815-1872
Miller, Thomas, 1806-1873

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