It would be a great obligation to me, if you would present the enclosed bill and start it on its passage, so that I could get my pay as quickly as possible.—For, like most printers, I am horribly in need of cash.—
Do, my dear sir, oblige me, in this matter, if possible.
Yours truly Walter WhitmanCorrespondent:
Teunis G. Bergen (1806–1881)
was a Brooklyn official acquainted with Whitman. Bergen was a member
of the 241st regiment of the New York State militia, where he achieved the rank of Colonel.
Trained as a surveyor, Bergen enjoyed
a succesful career in the field before turning to politics. He served on the
Kings County Board of Supervisors as the Supervisor of New Utrecht for
twenty-three years (1836–1859). In 1864, Bergen was elected to the United
States House of Representatives as a Democrat. He held this
office until 1867.