1861 August 14 Camp Magruder

Wednesday

It happened very unfortunately my dear Lucy
that I did not get your very acceptable
letter by Pleasant--He no doubt told
you how very short a time I recd his
when I supposed he had arrived at 3 PM
I went to the stable & they told me he had
come & I saw the mare, but that Pleasant was
gone down to the boat, So after half an hour
or to or about 4 PM. I went to the boat where
they told me Pleasant had gone back to the
exchange to see me. so I went again to the
store & then first met with Pleasant & in the great
hurry I never gathered from him what he had done
with the letters which he had left at the
stable with the horse. So yesterday upon
going down I found the letters which
they told me had been sent from
the stable to the Exchange--all just
as you had put them up nicely
in the piece of paper. I wrote a
letter that day which I intended to give
to [?] who went up to see his wife
but put it in Pleasants hands.
The mare got down all [safe?]
and it is a great convenience[?] to me

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in going to attend to business
in town. which together with business[?]
in drilling with the company 4 times
a day leaves but little leisure--
We have no stable here for horses &
[?] with the rest of the Command
are picketed out, to trees, or a
long rope tied 8 feet from the
ground where they are tied at
intervals of 8 feet from each other.
The Company is in 12 tents for
the men & 2 for the officers 6 for
the men in the [?] & [?]
[?] 25 feet apart [?] each other
the officers tents so place at the
western extremity of the street as to
command a view of the front of each
tent--I got the tents on the ground here
by 6 PM the day of our arrival the
[?] men were not mustered in till after 12
oclock--& I had then to make a requisition
for the tents--I had them all up & the

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straw in them & the men ready to
retire before 9 oclock--this encamp-
ment is the most desirable location I think
on the [?] that I have seen as there
are fewer men in it--say some 380 men
we are on the plank road a continuation
of Cary street & just a mile west of the
Corporation line a mile & a half from the Capital
of the whole roof of which (to the East) I
have a full view & can at this moment see
the two Confederate flags waiving from the two
ends of the building where the Southern Congress
are now holding its Sessions.

I observe what you say about the wheat but
the Bloomfield wheat is red wheat & will
not do to make family flour. & I am ap-
prehensive the onion may be an objection
with the white wheat we have--I wish you would
inquire particularly of Mr. Irving and know from
him if he cannot by farming get most of the
onions out of the white wheat raised at Surry
quarter & if so to send up the hundred bushels
to make the family flour: --but if Seay thinks
the onions give a taste to the flour he must
see if he cant get 100 bus of the same wheat raised at

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Lowr Bremo on the old house hill
& send them 100 bus of ours in place which
they could use as seed--I wish you would
tell Irving to find out also if Seay will let
sell the barrel at a reasonable price--40
cents for barrel is a good price or as much as
ought to be prided--If he will come to that
price or under it for the barrel (40 cents cash) tell
Mr. Irving he may deliver one thousand bushels
of that part of the crop which he regards as most
[?]--& let it be delivered at once if
[words lined through] tell him to see that it is ground
promptly & sent down--When ever the weather
favours he ought to have John hay or oats baled
& [?] to help Wm. d. Tompkins & brother & let
the flour go to the same place

I shall go to Richmond this morning for two hours & if it
be possible I will send up the things you
wrote for by Pleasant.

I delivered yesterday to Beverly James
the letter sent for him--& sent it at [?]
Tuesday or Thursday last to you for his wife as
she was out of town--Mr Harrisons company is
at the new Fair grounds & not at this camp which
is only for artillery.

Let me hear from you very often my dearest
Lucy & tell me how every thing is moving on at home
I know it is a heavy trial, by absence to you, & imposes
many heavy cares upon you--it is not less so to me but
duty seems to me to require the sacrifice & God is ever good &
[just?] & true to all who put their trust in him-- To Him I com-

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mend you & all the dear ones with you. I believe that his mercy & goodness will in the future yet do us good as it has in the past. So be firm & faint not for these vandals must be [beat?] & our country must be made the land of the free as now is the home of the brave.Ever yours
Cary C. Cocke

MSS 640