By 伊莱恩Grublin

虽然这封信已经不存在了, 人们普遍认为，1861年5月初，波士顿商人阿莫斯. Lawrence wrote a letter to Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee suggesting he might provide “material aid” to Johnson to support Johnson’s anti-secession st和 in Tennessee.  为什么人们认为劳伦斯, 他是一位富有的纺织商人，也是宪法联盟党成员, 给约翰逊写了这样一封信? Primarily because on 15 May 1861 Johnson replied stating “I received your kind favor on yesterday & 赶紧回复.但那封信真的是约翰逊写的吗?

劳伦斯写信给约翰逊并非完全出乎意料. 1860年12月, Lawrence wrote Johnson commending him for the “position 哪一个 you have taken in your patriotic speech in the Senate.在这次演讲中, 发表于南卡罗来纳脱离联邦前夕, 约翰逊大声宣布，他反对脱离联邦，以此来应对国家危机, 宣称这对这个国家目前面临的“罪恶”是“无法补救的”.  更重要的是, he declared that the people of Tennessee would “st和 by the Constitution” 和 thus would save “the greatest Government on earth.”

约翰逊收到了1860年12月20日劳伦斯的来信. 但他从未收到这封1861年5月初写的信. 这封信被诺克斯维尔邮政局长查尔斯. 查尔顿. 查尔顿是田纳西州支持分裂的州长的支持者, Isham哈里斯, 查尔顿截获了劳伦斯的信, 哈里斯, 还有一些人卷入了侵吞高达10美元的阴谋,000.00 from Lawrence 和 his fellow Union men in New Engl和 in order to aid Governor 哈里斯 in raising 和 arming regiments to fight for the Confederate army.

至于究竟是谁伪造了这些信件，大家意见不一. 一些学者认为查尔顿是伪造者. 其他人, 包括同时代的威廉·布朗罗，他声称认出了这些笔迹, 声称伪造者是威廉·G. 天鹅.  斯旺是田纳西州的一名律师和未来的联邦国会议员. 无论哪种方式, 这个阴谋肯定和查尔顿有关, 截获了至少两封(也许三封)劳伦斯写给约翰逊的信, 和哈里斯州长, who had two of Lawrence’s letters 和 several incriminating letters from 查尔顿 in his possession when Nashville fell to Union forces in early 1862. 哈里斯拥有的这些信件最终来到了约翰逊手中，目前是约翰逊的 安德鲁·约翰逊论文 由国会图书馆收藏. 

Lawrence responded immediately to “Johnson’s” 15 May letter stating “if y[ou]r note to me were printed in our newspapers it would be good for Ten Thous和 Dollars in three days time.但是劳伦斯没有把这封信刊登在报纸上. 如果他知道了，也许这个计划就会被阻止, but underst和ing that he must “use it as a private letter” Lawrence instead called a meeting of like-minded men in Boston 和 shared the letter privately.  (You can read more about the outcome of that meeting a read Lawrence’s letter of 22 May 1861 describing the meeting 在这里.)

约翰逊又给劳伦斯写了两封信. 5月23日，他写道:“如果我能指挥……. 比方说一万美元我毫不怀疑我能保住这个州 联邦联盟并要求“保证我们能找到男人。 & 8年前的枪^th 6月“.

8^th of June being the date set by the Tennessee legislature (哪一个 had already voted to approve secession) for the popular vote on the secession issue. 6月6日, 太迟了，无法在脱离联邦投票前得到劳伦斯的有效帮助, 他再次写信要求“5美元或10美元”,用新英格兰货币发行的大额钞票, 通过辛辛那提的邮件购买武器.

劳伦斯没有理由相信他没有和真实的安德鲁·约翰逊通信. 在接连不断的通信的三个星期里, Johnson was 旅行ing through East Tennessee making anti-secession speeches in an attempt to impact the 8 June vote, 也没有任何迹象表明劳伦斯见过约翰逊的笔迹. It was known throughout the nation that 哈里斯 had refused Abraham Lincoln’s call for troop on 15 April, 声明:“田纳西州不会提供任何一个人来进行胁迫, 但是50,为捍卫我们的权利和南方同胞的权利所必需的.5月8日，哈里斯, 经立法机关批准, 与南方联盟政府建立了某种联盟, 将整个田纳西州的民兵组织置于南部邦联政府的控制之下.  劳伦斯应该知道，约翰逊在自己的州内获得支持的希望不大. And would have been happy to lend that needed support to Johnson in order to retain Tennessee for the Union. 

The forgers’ scheme began to unravel on 11 June when the Richmond Enquirer published one of Lawrence’s letters to Johnson.  Presumably Governor 哈里斯 or one of the conspirators provided the letter to the Enquirer in an attempt to humiliate Johnson, but the publication of the letter only drew attention to the fact that forged letters were being exchanged. 尽管这1000美元的命运是个问题.5月18日劳伦斯寄来的00张汇票, after the conspiracy was revealed Lawrence 和 Andrew Johnson engaged in a long personal correspondence 哪一个 did result in Lawrence provided some monetary aid to Johnson to support the Unionists in East Tennessee. 

要了解更多的故事，请参阅Barry A. 商人和参议员:为联邦拯救东田纳西州的尝试，" 东田纳西历史学会出版社， 46 (1974): 53-75.