Marcus Parrott wrote from Washington, D.C., to his brother, Edwin Parrott, regarding the political situation there. Marcus suspected that an organization existed, on the part of Virginia and Maryland, to block the presidential inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, and stated that, if the national situation did not better itself, that he had "no doubt that he [Lincoln] will sacrifice his life" improving it. He added that economic conditions were poor, and that many Congressmen were left unpaid.