The Bixby Letter

[Steve]

(07-29-2017 08:58 PM)Houmes Wrote:  Even a president with a talent for writing hopes an occasional letter might not be traced back to the hand of another. Here’s an example of increasing frustration for President-elect Lincoln, badgered by a woman wanting a government job.

No date, Oskaloosa, Iowa, written on a 2 ¾” X 4 ½” card.

My dear Madam,
The most I can say is that when the time comes, if it’s made to appear that the appointment of your friend to the Post-Office at Oskaloosa, will be as satisfactory to the people there, as would that of any other person, he will probably receive it, otherwise not. Yours truly, A. Lincoln

Not found in The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Roy P. Basler, editor.

I found a link to an image of the card:

http://www.railsplitter.com/sale11/images/1848.jpg

Also, if anybody is interested, I found the Findagrave page for Deacon John Phillips which has a bio and photograph:

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg...=101814365

and attached an article from the July 10, 1863 Boston Evening Traveller incorrectly reporting son Henry's death at Gettysburg (it has several errors - the brother in the 20th Mass. was Charles and the other brother in that regiment was Henry in his first enlistment before he joined the 32nd Mass. Charles was killed during the 2nd battle of Fredericksburg during the Chancellorsville campaign).