His Excellency, the President of the U. States.
Dear Sir: Mr. Franklin L Rhoads, of Pekin, Illinois, desires the appointment to a Lieutenancy in the U.S. Army, as you perceive by the Pe[ti]tion, accompanying this. Mr. Rhoads is a Whig; but of the fifteen persons who sign his Petition, I personally know five to be influential Democrats, five whigs, and the remaining five to be respectable men, though their politics are unknown to me. The Mr. Jones, who writes the accompanying letter, addressed to me, has received a military education, and was Mr. Rhoads' captain in the battle of Cerro Gordo. If the appointment could be confered on Mr. Rhoads, I should be personally grateful for it. Very Respectfully Your Obt. Servt. A. LINCOLN