On 16 August 1842, wrote from , Illinois, to JS, who was in hiding just outside of Nauvoo, responding to JS’s letter of the same date. Law agreed that it might be best if JS left for a time to avoid the men who were attempting to arrest him and extradite him to . At the time, JS was staying with member . In his 16 August letter to Law, JS had indicated he might depart Illinois to hide in . JS had asked Law for his advice about leaving and also requested updates on recent developments in Nauvoo. Judging from the opening lines of Law’s reply, it appears that he received JS’s letter sometime around noon.

In ’s response, written about one in the afternoon, he addressed JS, as he had the previous day, both as lieutenant general of the and as a friend. Law reported that “the enemy” had made “no movements” and expressed his belief that, despite reports to the contrary, those seeking to arrest JS would not inflict violence on ’s citizens if JS was not there.

left JS to deliver letters to and on 16 August, and JS expected Derby to return soon. He probably returned to ’s house with Law’s letter later that day. JS did not respond to this letter from Law, who wrote JS another letter on the same topic the next day. either retained Law’s original 16 August letter, which is not extant, or made a copy. He copied the letter into JS’s journal—which was being kept in the Book of the Law of the Lord—several days later, probably between 21 and 23 August, as suggested by changes in the ink Clayton used in the Book of the Law of the Lord.