To Cyrus Aldrich1Jump to section
My dear Sir: Washington, Dec. 6. 1862.
In answer to your inquiries I can only say, at this distance of time, that I remember the Land-officers at Vandalia, Palestine, Danville and Dixon, in the State of Illinois, who went in under the administration of President Taylor, afterwards made a claim in connection with the location of Land-Warrants in the respective offices, which claim was disallowed by the accounting officers at Washington; that the claim, and consequently the question in all the cases was the same, and that the officers, of whom you were one, determined to test the legality of the claim in a suit against one of them, which might be brought by the government; & I think the District Attorney also agreed to it, so far as to sue one only---Daniel Clapp, of Danville & Judge Logan and myself were engaged to defend; and while I, do not now remember the exact question, I do remember that Iexpected the defence would succeed, and I am sure there was nothing in the claim, to cast any imputation upon the parties making it. My recollection is that the defendants or rather, the single defendant, constantly sought to bring the suit to trial, that the District Attorney was never ready, and that the case lingered many years, and, as I think was still on the docket when I came on here. Yours very truly A. LINCOLN