Name/Title
Letter from George Rockingham Gilmer to Washington IrvingEntry/Object ID
HHV 003.126Description
Letter from George Rockingham Gilmer to Washington IrvingSubject
Letter of admiration, Salmagundi, sent with book about first settlers
of Georgia, Cherokee, reasons for removal, defense of Governor Gilmer’s actionsSubject Person/Organization
Washington Irving (1783-1859), George Rockingham GilmerSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
GeorgiaCollection
Irving Manuscript CollectionTranscription
Transcription
Lexington May 15h 55
To
Washington Irving Esq
Dear Sir
I have written a book and send it to you / as my excuse for expressing the very / great pleasure which I have contin / uously derived from your writing / since Salmagundi first made its / appearance in the [south?] If you / should look into it you ill find / that it is made of sketches of the / first settlers on the frontiers of / upper Georgia and their neighbors / the Cherokee Indians the unparal - led success of the settlers in acquir / ing weather and the confidence of / the country how the Indians have / been removed from Georgia as /
[END OF PAGE 1]
[cumberous?] of the ground to the wild west of the Mifsifsippi how Geor / gia has been improved and the / Indians benefitted by [??] [wh-??] / at the time excited the most general / and [unconstrained?] abuse against those / who xxx? [^ used] them.
The author who wrote his first / book at forty four cannot expect / that his labours will attract readers / by its litterary merits He will / be satisfied if the simple truth / fulness of its statements shall aid / history in describing the manners / and success of the first settlers of upper Georgia the instincts / of the Cherokees and the necefsity / which required that they should / yield to the progrefsive im / provements of those who were / [prefsing?] upon them.
[END OF PAGE 2]
The misconceptions of the conduct / of the Authorities of Georgia in / relation to the Cherokees was so / universal among the people of the / distant States that any effort at / the time to set the public opinion / right would have been [unevailing?]
As the abuse was specially directed / at the Governor who was the agent / for doing what was done I desire / to show that great injustice / was done him. Hoping that / my book may give pleasurable / employment to a few of you / leisure moments.
I am very / respectfully / yours +c
George R GilmerTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
W 177
