1861 Oct 29th Hopewell

[letter written as an addendum to Lucy Skipwith's letter of October 28]

Dear Genl
We received your letter yesterday
and were truly glad to hear from you & to find
that you are not confined to a bed of sickness
We have had a great deal of sickness since
I wrote last, but have not had an occasion to call
in a physician but once. they are all now much
better, we have only one patient & she has a rising foot.
We have not had as much sickness as our neighbors
in a great many places their have been fifteen or
twenty down at the same time, We have had as many as
five or six We are getting along very well picking
cotton considering the sickness we have had. They are
now picking in the Melton Field. The hands are picking
very well they average from one hundred & fifty to two
hundred each day & have averaged as high as 232.
Eliza has picked as high as three hundred & eighty four
I keep the different fields of cotton set down
to itself. We have sixty Bales packed & are hauling
it to the Landing. We have not gathered Boleyn
Field of corn yet. Our Hogs are in very good
order We have 43 to Kill this winter. We have
turned out several Brood sows. Mules, cows & colts
are in very good order. Old Moll is improving
very fast & her colt is growing. the carriage
mares are in good order & worked well the
last time we worked them, I think they
are pretty well broken

[page 2]
The Guinea grass has been cut for Hay.
We made a very good crop of Punkins but they
are rotning[sic] very fast. Uncle R. was down the
first of the month he wrote toyou I hope
you have received his letter he told me to
say to you that the annual conference would will
meet in Greensboro 11th December & that you
had better come out in November if you can.
He also says he thinks you had better not
order any Flour until you come out, as we
have some very nice. Howel, Sippia, Charles,
Morris & Eliza are the bets pickers. The young
hands are improving very fast.
There are two limbs buried from the
Mulberry tree in the garden & seem to be
growing. The grafts are all dead but three &
they are growing very well. the little Mulbery
tree in the yard is growing very fast
We have attended to saving all kinds of seed.
I understood from Armstead that he was
Hauling corn last week. I have not seen
Wiles for several days. He has been a little
unwell. I read your letter to him.
Yours respectfully
Smith Powell
Gen J. H. Cocke

PS.
Mr Borden's, Capt Cocke's and Miss Averys
families are well
yours &c
S.P.

MSS 640