Wash. Apr 13. 1863.
My dear Sir,
	           I went up by consent
of our physician, the latter part of
last week to N.Y. my native
City, to speak at their great
[Sumter?] meeting; & on my return
found your letter of the 6th.
I am glad to learn by it the
matters do not look as threatening
in Inda as I had inferred from
the papers & letters from friends less
civil than yourself. I do not
wonder however at the alarm
expressed by many. To be even within
                 			    in Inda
the possible contingency of civil war ^
is alarming enough, & to hear treasen
talked by your neighbors, discouraging indeed.

But the township elections,
straw as they are, prove that
your theory is correct, that
                 home
the tide of ^ treason is rather at
the [ebb?] & certainly not
swelling in its volume.
	I am glad to find that
you are satisfied with my
selection of Wallace as Prov.
Marshal; & that your caution
was prompted by the only man
except one in LaPorte who 
had protested agst it, but when
had himself signed the recommen-
=dation for him. I think between
you & I, [Wier?] wanted it
himself, which probably explains
the whole. Certainly, Wallace
was recommended overwhelmingly by

the leading citizens of LaPorte &
other Cos. And I was glad to 
be able to select him; for he
had been one of the fiercest agst.
me in the P.G. trouble. & I would
rather [illegible] good for evil than
not.
	I have been quite disappointed
at the War Dept. to learn today
that their Board of Visitors are
to be taken exclusively from
Naval Officers. It was the examina-
=tion of the Naval Academy I
suggested, at Newport, not at
West Point. For the Military Academy, 
Indiana can have a Visitor every
other year, & he must then be
taken by law from a District
which did not have the last Visitor
if there are candidates. As Judge

Biddle of our District was the
Visitor last year, you will see
	can
that we [crossed out] [will] not have another
for years to come.
	My wife I am glad to tell
you is slowly improving thogh still
quite ill & unable to leave her
room. The Dr says, if she is able to
travel when warm weather comes,
I must take her to some quiet
house in the [suburbs?] of Newport for
the sea air & sea water to tone up
her enfeebled system. I am very 
anxious to get home if not for a few 
days; but it wuld include a ten days
absence from her; & thogh he says I can
for a day or so at a time, to N.Y. or
Phil., he will not consent to a larger
absence.  It completely unsettles me &
presents me from making any plans for
the summer. But if she [illegible] recovery I shall be
abundantly repaid. Yrs truly Schuyler Colfax

[Written on left side of Scan 4]

My regards to Mrs & Miss C.

[End]