Charles H. Constable (July 17, 1817 – October 9, 1865) was an American attorney, Illinois State Senator, judge, and real estate entrepreneur.

Following the dismissal of charges and his return to the bench, Constable and his family endured repeated threats, violence, and humiliation at the hands of partisan mobs angry at his release of the Civil War deserters.

[2] Martha was the daughter of Thomas S. Hinde, a noted attorney, Methodist minister, real estate entrepreneur, writer, and the founder of Mount Carmel.

In the diaries of his nephew, Constable and his wife were described as good and honest people, and they cared for many relatives and friends in their household through the years.

After Hinde's death, Constable quickly gathered all of his writings, diaries, business documents, and miscellaneous other items and donated them to Lyman Draper in 1864, who was known for collecting the papers of figures of the Trans-Allegheny frontier.

[5] For a short time after the death of Thomas S. Hinde, Constable remained in Mount Carmel with his wife and extended family.

"[13] According to one source, after Zachary Taylor was elected president in 1848, Constable wrote to Lincoln and David Davis seeking a political appointment to a Latin American country as a chargé d'affaires, because of his growing family and declining law practice.

[14] In January 1851, Lincoln wrote a letter to Senator James Pearce recommending Constable be nominated for an Oregon federal judgeship.

Lincoln was quoted as saying, "Mr Constable, I understand you perfectly, and have noticed for some time that you have been slowly and cautiously picking your way over to the Democratic party.

[20] During a rally of more than 40,000 people in Springfield, Illinois, Constable was elected to a leadership position of an organization set up to oppose Lincoln's policies.

[23] Carrington believed the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret society said to be supporting the South, was responsible for the release of the deserters.

Constable graciously invited Carrington to dine with him at his home before they left for Indianapolis, where the judge was granted the freedom of the city on his parole or word of honour.

[27] After Constable was released from custody and returned to his home in Marshall, he was ostracized by many members of the public, who thought he had acted against the Union.

During the riot: [Two small boys] saw Judge Constable, white and trembling, in an angle of the wall in the alley to their right, evidently uncertain what to do or where to go next.

[29] In January 1864, Union soldiers on furlough forced Constable under threat of violence to make an oath of allegiance to the federal government in Mattoon, Illinois.

"[31] Another source stated that the soldiers violently dragged Constable off his wagon and humiliated him by making him kneel on the ground and swear his allegiance and that these actions caused an eruption of violence in Mattoon the following day.

[30] In the diaries of his nephew Edmund C. Hinde, Constable is described as an honest man with good character, and his opponents are called "cowards" who did not understand the circumstances of the events.

In Edmund C. Hinde's diaries, Constable is described as a "slave" to morphine, and in one journal entry, he is described as lying on the floor and talking like a child while on the drug.

It was sad, but not dishonourable; and I do not believe that he left a single stain, blemish or blot upon his reputation; and I now bid farewell to his memory.