Wilson, Douglas L., ed; Davis, Rodney O., ed. 'Register of Informants' in 'Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements About Abraham Lincoln' . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. [format: book], [genre: history]. Permission: University of Illinois Press
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=herndon737.html

Conkling came to Springfield in 1838 and developed a close personal and professional relationship with AL. He served on the Republican State Central Committee and was a presidential elector in 1860 and 1864. Through Conkling, AL defended his positions on emancipation and the use of blacks in the military in a letter to a Springfield Union meeting in August 1863. (ALE)