1861 Nov[embe]r 13 Batesville (Albemarle, County, Va.)

Dear General [John Hartwell Cocke] thank God that this
leaves my self and loved ones all in tolerable health
I hope it will find you and yours healthy & Happy I received
your kind letter Some days ago and would have an=
swered it then but for constant engagements I have
rarely ever had so much to do I let my Overseer
off to go into the War in May last & Since then I
am well nigh all the time going Over the
Farm & about my Store and for some months
I have had to take the Church in hand the
man we employed to build was a reformed
Drunkard who had joined the Temperance
Society & promised to be a useful Man but
unfortunately we have a whiskey Seller in
150 Steps of the Church & he & his whiskey soon
got him in his Old Habbits of Drunken-
ness & hence he soone went to war & others seem
to think more of Other things than the Chur
=ch & I have had to Employ Brick Layers & Carp
=enters & hands & carry it on My Self I got a
Lot of Faithful Brick Layers & am just finish=
=ing the Brick work to day the Carpenters are going
on finely Now & I hope in a Short time to Com-
-plete the Wood Work I think it will be when

[page 2]
Finished quite a Substantial & good looking Church
40 by 50 Feet about 20 Feet Pitch. Galarys three sides
Finished exactly upon the Plan of the Baptist Church
in this place Called Mount Edd I feel quite thank
-ful that we have after so many Impediments
been able to get the Church up I am under
ten thousand times 10000 Obligations to my kind
Father that he has permited me to have Health & stren
=gth to do so much work in my old age I thou
=ght 33 years ago when worn down with disease
that I would not live a Year but God has in his
Parental kindness kept me here until this Blessed
Hour I suppose he has Something for me to do I Pray
God to let light shine upon my Pathway that I may
see my Duty & go & do it. As soon as it is perfectly conveni=
=ent you will do me a kindness to send me a Check for your
& your sons Subscription and now I must say I hardly
know what to think of Lincolns wicked War upon
us it has been a Source of Great trouble to me when
I think of the Oppression & Suffering of our Dear
soldiers Tented on the Cold Damp Earth & exposed in
All kind of Weather although the Yankeys are our
countrymen & some quite a number of them Call
themselves Christians I believe they are the Greatest
Enemy we have under the Sun & they Hate us with a
Fiendish Hatred & If they Could succeed in Subjugate
us they would make Slaves of us & hence I
expect no Quarters nor no Mercy from them we Must

[page 3]
prepare Our Selves to Obtain Our Independance
at the Point of the Bayonet & Fight our way thr=
=ough I feel greatly Interested for Tennessee Ken=
=tucky Missoury & Mariland & whilst they are Sore=
ley pressd I have no doubt they will eventually
Whip the Yankeys thus Far I think by Gods Providence
we have whiped them in well nigh every Battle & Som
=etimes they have four to one against us It seems Clear to my Mind
that as unworthy as we are God Favors us & If God be
for us who Can be against us. I see that our very worthy
President has again Issued his Proclamation advising
the People of this Confederacy to hold & keep the 15th day
of this Month as a day of Fasting & Prayer to Alm-
=ighty God for our Success in the Oppressive &
wicked War I was Truly Gratified when I
Saw it & I hope it will be strictly atten
=ed toI gave out a Notice last Sunday to have
Prayer Meeting at our Church on that day
advised Ny Neighbours present to come out with
all their Family White & Coloured I intend
to try to be present with My White & Coloured
Family on that Occasion God being my helper
I am Greatly at a Loss to know or what con-
-clusioon to Come to about the Continuation of
this Wicked War It seems to me that the Expence
of Carry it on will Soon Ruin the North from
one to two Millions of Dollars per day will
Certainly exhaust their Funds & Ruin their

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Credit our own Expence is much Less & our business
is going on we are Making quite as Good Crops as ever
we did our Labouring Citizens is well nigh all at
home the (Negroes). I have the largest & best crop I
ever had & the Negroes here Seems to work remarkably
well & behave well now I must close write soon
& give your views about the waw[sic] as ever your friend
in the Peaceful Bond of Christian Love
S. Moon