1862 February 3 Columbus Miss

Dear Genl.

I have recd your welcome letter of the 20th Jany:
In reply, am thankful to God that Mrs. Cocke has
tranquilly submitted to the Power of the Almighty
& is praying for his Consenting Grace.
May the God of all goodness & mercy answer her
prayers the Prayers of us all, for the entire
family while living here, & that it may become
family undivided in heaven.
You & the Dear family have the prayers
of our friends around us here.
I wrote to you since my last visit to Greene
& no doubt you have recd before this time.
Smith will continue to live at Hopewell
Nickley has left New Hope & I have sent
young Frank down to take his place.
Dont be uneasy about the boys; I think
I can get on Well, if I can keep my
health--I shall attend to the improvement
of Hopewell as much as possible in my
respect--
I was on Genl. Phil: St: Geo: Cocke's
Plantations last monday & tuesday.
The stock of every kind looking very well.
The servants very well except some

[page 2]
few with colds, & 9one very sick woman at
Lake Place, but she was thought to be better
than she had been several days before my
visit to the Plantations.
We are getting on well on the Plantations
Plowing & cleaning up for another crop.
We can not finish packing cotton till
we can buy more baging & Rope, & I do
not expect to be able to buy till the Block
=ade is raised, & then we can get us
much Rope, & india baging as we well
need for the present & next crop--
You wrote three Excrs had qualified on
the Est. I would like to know their views
about planting the next crop of cotton
if the blockade is not raised.
The people here think it best to plant only
half a crop, as a half crop will be
worth as much as a whole one & make
more grain & raise more meat-
The people here are going upon the
cash system & we have no cash, & I
would be glad to get the consent of
Doct Cocke or all the excrs to sell corn
&c &c to raise money to buy supplies
for the plantations as they do not intend
to come here till apl. I have sold
some corn, & bought sugar & molases

[page 3]
but do not know now how we are to pay
debts, or the taxes, if we cant sell cotton
The Est owes the last payment for the Yazoo
place $13000 or $14000, & 10 or $12000 to the Comss
merchants in New Orleans, & other debts amounting
to several thousand dollars for the purchase
of mules for the Bottom & other things necessary
for the use of the Plantations--
The Legislature of Miss. has passed a stay[?] law
& no money can be collected till 12 months after
the war is over, & if we can pay taxes, we can
get on well, till we can sell cotton.
The est. has a few hundred Dolls. due it for corn
&c sold in the past year but the people
can pay or not-& for that reason all are
doing a cash business, & letting all old debts
lie till the Blockage is raised
I am now sick with a cold, but as soon as
I am well enough will leave for the Bottom.
Smith writes me I will have to settle with Robt
& armistead for marking & killing some of Capt
Cockes shoats & 2 sows.--If I had a copy
of Genl. P.St.G's Cocke's will, I could know how
to act till the excrs come out without troubling
them at present--but you can judge what
is best to be done. In haste yr friend
R. D. Powell
Genl. John H Cocke

[page 4]
The $200 I borrowed to pay our taxes in Green
County will be paid by Messrs Jas. E. Saunders
& Son & charged to us--RDP
The state of Ala assumes the paymnt of the war tax
of Ala. It is 57c for every $100 worth of property
in Ala & in this state (Miss.) I think.
all the taxes of the est of Genl. P. St. Geo. Cocke
will amt. to $10,000 if no more in this state

[in the left hand margin of page 1]
I shall request all the overseers to write to Mrs Cocke
till I see the Excrs & will write again from the Bottom
next week if I am able to travel--

Dr. Cocke, i.e. John Hartwell Cocke's son Cary Charles Cocke who resigned his captaincy in the Fluvanna Light Artillery to serve as executor of the estate of his brother General Philip St.George Cocke.

MSS 640