1861 December 31 Rivanna Rectory

My dear General

accept my most sin-
cere sympathy under the heavy addic=
tion which God in his mysterious pro-
vidence has permitted to befal you
& your house. Whatever faint ray of
consolation the sympathy of friends
can bring under such an overwhelming
dispensation, I would do all in my
power to supply. But that which
no human friend can do, is certainly
within the power of our Almighty
friend & Father. May you have such
access to the source of all consolation
as to sustain you under the trial you are
called to bear. Heavy as the calamity
which has befallen your family, it
is not the heaviest that might have
occurred, for in a life on which so
many interests hung, to be cut off
suddenly is an event deeply to be
deplored; & by those most nearly con-
-cerned almost unceasingly to be Mourn
-ed: and get, in the very fact itself,
what a source of consolation is con-
tained, from the fact that you are
in possession of such convincing ev-
-idence that the soul of the departed
had made it's peace with God; and
that the issue which has fallen with
such a shock upon his family, was
only the result of a mind tasked

[page 2]
beyond its powers of endurance, by
a large addition to the weight of
care and responsibility which was
his share in time of peace: and
which resulted in a complete prostra-
-tion of the nervous system.

I desire through you to tender
my sincerest sympathy to each &
every member of the afflicted
family of your deceased son.

Mrs. Brown unites with [me] in feelings
of regard & sympathy with yourself
& family.

ever sincerely your friend
R. R. Mason

Genl. Jno. H. Cocke

[sympathy letter on the suicide of Genl. Philip St. George Cocke]

MSS 640