Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

Charles H. Constable to Abraham Lincoln, 10 June 18491
Mount Carmel, Illinois
June 10^th 1849.Hon. A. Lincoln,Dear Lincoln,
Your favor of– from Springfield directed to myself and Doct. Baker was received by yesterday's mail2 but from the fact that it came by Carmi was too late to be attended to by that mail, but as I go to Lawrenceville, tomorrow, the enclosed will be in advance two days of our mail–

I have enclosed to Doct.[Doctor] Baker, your letter directed to Phila^d where he now is– Write to him, and if necessary he will come on to Washington, which I have solicited him to do.3

I enclose you a letter to Collamer from Page, and one from M^cDowell, to Ewing an old acquaintance, you will also find one from Page ^and self^ to Ewing,4 Use them as you deem proper– God grant you may succeed.5

Command me as you see proper I am at your service6
Yours Most trulyConstable

1Charles H. Constable wrote and signed this letter.

2No letter from Abraham Lincoln to Constable and Dr. Ezra Baker, Jr. has been located. However, in early June 1849, Lincoln sent a series of letters to numerous people requesting letters in support of his candidacy for commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office. Initially, only Justin H. Butterfield, James L. D. Morrison, and Cyrus Edwards were vying to become commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office. Lincoln entered the competition after learning that Butterfield was favored over Morrison and Edwards. See the General Land Office Affair.
Abraham Lincoln to Josiah B. Herrick; Abraham Lincoln to James M. McLean; Abraham Lincoln to Robert C. Schenck; Abraham Lincoln to Joseph R. Underwood; Abraham Lincoln to William A. Minshall and Robert S. Blackwell; Abraham Lincoln to Willie P. Mangum; Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward; Abraham Lincoln to Duff Green; Abraham Lincoln to Unknown; Abraham Lincoln to David Rumsey; Abraham Lincoln to Nathaniel Pope.

3As competition for the job intensified, William H. Henderson and Josiah M. Lucas, Lincoln supporters living in Washington, DC, urged Lincoln to come to the nation’s capital to personally lobby for the position. On June 9, Butterfield wrote Lincoln suggesting that neither go to Washington. Lincoln did not respond to this suggestion, and on June 10, both set out for the capital. Lincoln arrived on or before June 19.
William H. Henderson to Abraham Lincoln; William H. Henderson to Abraham Lincoln; Josiah M. Lucas to Abraham Lincoln; The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln, 10 June 1849, http://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1849-06-10; 19 June 1849, http://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1849-06-19.

4The enclosed letters Constable references—William T. Page to Jacob Collamer, James McDowell to Thomas Ewing, and Page to Ewing—have not been located. Page wrote Lincoln on June 11, 1849, outlining his efforts to help Lincoln win the appointment.

5Ultimately, neither Morrison, Edwards, nor Lincoln received the appointment; the job went to Butterfield instead. See the General Land Office Affair.

6Lincoln’s response, if he wrote one, has not been located.