Saturday, December 3, 2011

[18]61 Dec[ember] 3 U[niversity] of V[irgini]a

Dear General [John H. Cocke]

Peyton and Lavinia
arrived safe yesterday evening--
Mrs McGuffey begs her kindest
regards thanks to you for the supply of "good
things
" sent by Peyton especially for
the Books--The girl, Lavinia strikes
her most favorably--and she will do her
best in relation to her training--

I thank you for the Mulberries, and
will hand to Dr Davis one, and plant
the other where it may prove a memento
of both you and me, when we are gone--
Mrs. McG. sends her thanks to Ned and
Felicia, for the dried apples and "beans"--Our
cook, Susan, is especially pleased to see
an old acquaintance in the "Harmony beans"

May we not hope to see you, ere long,
under our roof?--Where you are always
most cordially welcome--none more so --ever

[page 2]
I wrote you on last friday--in which
letter I said that Capt. Eugene Davis was
better--I saw Dr Davis last evening at
Faculty Meeting--He says his brother is now
improving more rapidly--We hope he wd
be soon entirely restored--but it will be
long before he can resume his command

With kindest and christian
regards my wife and myself remain your
sincere friend--W.H.McGuffey

General John Hartwell Cocke, 1780-1866, was the last remaining founder of the University of Virginia and still serving on the Board of Visitors.

William Holmes McGuffey, 1800-1873, best known for the McGuffey Readers, came to the University of Virginia in 1845 as a professor of philosophy.

John Staige Davis, 1824-1885, was a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia and one of the doctors at the military hospital established in Charlottesville. His younger brother Eugene was Captain of the Albemarle Light Horse, Co. K of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry. See the letter from F.E.G. Carr to Davis, 1861 November 22.


MSS 640

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