Nauvoo March 19th 1844

Col Solomon Copeland

Dear Sir

I take thi[s] method to break that Silence which hath prevaild for a length of time between us And also to make a request of you of an important nature The following reasons are some among the many that promps me to this course. When I was a Stranger in a strange land Advocating principles of the fulness of the everlasting Gospel of the Son of God Although as true as any principle that ever emenatd from the throne of Jehovah yet the most of all Doctrins unpopular with that class whose minds are limited to the Sectarian notions & traditions of the present generation instead of expanding to receive the revelations of Jesus Christ Which doctrine freequely [frequently] subjected me with my friends to unfair oppostion, persecution warrents &c It was in the midst of this order of things that I found Col Solomon Copeland among the first to step back as a gentleman, friend & republican, to assist us in maintaning our rights & <​you​> not ownly treated me & my friends with common Civility & Sociability But all of our wants were bountifuly supplyed under your hospitable roof, This Sir was not all I discoverd that whenever any principle was presented that was high Noble & glorious that when carried out would have a tendency to ennoble man & exhalt him to the highest grade <​degree​> of usefulness intelligenc & glory that was ever designd for man by the God of heaven that it would strike a cord & vibrate your Soul as with the rapidity of lighting yea the Silent Language of which was, this is congenial with my Spirit & the sentiments of my heart. And whenever in my perigrinations I have met with any master spirits of this kind I have markd it in my mind & laid it up in my memory for a future day, permit me Sir to say that inasmuch as you are one of the most prominant ones with whi[c]h I have met in my travels I feel disposed to express my mind freely to you upon the subject which I have in view. Sir Those primary principle appertaing to the Kingdom of God & the salvation of man which we taught in our spiritual Infancy & in which you seemd to take a deep interest are of no less consequene now than then in fine evry day that rolls over our heads adds to its magnitude & importane for whenever a[n]y great & noble purpose work or plan is put into operation its light & influence is seem & felt more & more by the Nations of the Earth Much Sir has been said concerni[n]g us as a peopl, our motives & principles have all the day long been misrepresentd By wickd & designig men We as a people are not known in our true light I would to God we were I would to God that president Joseph Smith was known in his true light to all the wise, the good the virtuous, the meek & the honest in heart & th[e]y would be laud[e]d by a portion of the same spirit that is like fire shut up in his bones He ownly kneed to be known by men to be haled as one born out of due time to frown upon opp[r]ession, plead the Cause of the opp[r]essd, as the universal friend of man, to introduc Intelligene & wisdom into the world, To raise a standard of light & truth as a Ba[n]ner to the Nations of the Earth that time nor man Canot extinguish or destry. He has thus far by the Help of God outrode the storm of persecution heaped upon him by his enemis who have sought to take away from <​him​> evry right that the Laws & Constitution garantee unto him as well as evry Americn Citizen, his course has been onward in the midst of evry difficulty untill he has erected one of the largest Cities of the west <​containing a population of some 18 or 20,000 souls​> & is surroudd not ownly with the <​best​> intelligenc & wisdom of the Earth as his council but with thousands of friends who would in a moment <​if necssary​> lay down their lives in his defenc aganst opp[r]essors & mobs, & as the time has arivd when we deem it no longer necessary to put men in Office to use our influen[c]e in promoting man to the highest offiics of this government who will not act for the good of the people but for their own aggrandizement & parts purposes, And we as a people have come to the Conclused <​Conclusion​> to run a candidate for president of the Unted States at the next Election And that Candidate is General Joseph Smith. And sirs the request I wish to make of you is to know if you are willing to permit us to use your name as a candidate for vice president at the next Ele[c]tion & also to invite you to favor us with a visit at Nauvoo I make this requst of your honor according to the Co[u]ncil of the Authorities of the City of Nauvoo, & We should be Happy to see you & you will meet with a welcome reception in our midst & I think Sir you would Be amply <​repaid​> in your feelings for taking a journy of this kind; I trust Sir you will favor me with an answer to this, the earlist opportunity, I will forward you with this Letter a copy of General Smith views of the powers & policy of the government United States

With sentiments of respect I subscribe myself your Friend

Wilford Woodruff

Col Solomon Copeland

P.S. Please give my respects to Mrs Copeland & all enquiring friends Elders [Abraham] Smoot & Alexanders & all the Southen Brethren with their families are well as far as I know.— I should be much pleased to have an inte◊◊ with you & esspecially to have you see General Smith you would like him he is the master Spirit of the age you would be pleased with Nauvoo I think come & see us if possible, As you are a military man, I think you would like to see our Legion out whi[c]h no about 4000, men

Col. Solomon Copeland

Pigeon Roost P. C

Henry Co.

Tennessee