1862 February 6 Liberty Hall

Dear Genl [John Hartwell] Cocke

I hear that Mr Peyton Skipwith will be
on the boat this morning and that he will get off at
your house--so, while I am waiting for the boat I will
occupy myself in this pleasant way in giving you the
little news in our neighborhood and furnish this much
evidence at least that I do not pass you without
much regret but that business that I consider very
important compels me to make as speedy a trip to Richmond
as possible--and rendered much more important by
the fact that it is principally the business of others
which I am to attend to.

I shall place in Mr. Skipwith's hands a letter to you
from Aunt Sally and one to Mr Lee Brent from Dr
Brent which I suppose contain information in regard
to Mother's sickness more accurate than anything that
I could write you. I hope however, sir, that as soon
as the rising on Mother's neck disappears, which at
present annoys her very much that she will improve
rapidly.

I shall be very glad to meet with Mr. Skipwith and re
gret that I was away from home on business while he
was at Edgewood--as I intended certainly to call to
see him upon his arrival. When he was in this neigh-
borhood during Cousin Polly's life time I met him at
our church and had the pleasure of offering him my horse
and he also called at my house on the following day. I
shall be very happy to meet with him again. I regret

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very much, sir, to hear of the sickness of Mrs. Skipwith
who is now with you and hope that her trip to Vir-
ginia may ultimately, if not in a very short time,
prove beneficial to her health.

My Father's health, I am glad to inform you, is
almost entirely restored and he is again leading
the same active life that he has always led.
No young man could witness such indomitable
energy and industry and such cheerfulness and
anxiety for the good of others without being moved
to desire to catch some of the same spirit.
Even under difficulties which might depress many
persons he is the same and I thank God for such
a parent and such an example! I will add, Sir,
that he received your kind letter which was duly
handed over to my family and the family at Li[berty] Hall
and returned to him.

I stated in my last letter to you that we should put
on record, if the court would allow it, a protest
against the clause in Mrs. Mary W. Cabell's will
referring to my family and others in insulting terms
I had thought, sir, that a dignified protest, put
alongside this clause, setting forth the naked truth
-the facts in the case as could be clearly proved
by the best friends Mrs. Cabell had in the world
would make the matter more clear to posterity &
therefore would be justice to us. I knew, Sir, that
that clause could not effect my character or that

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of the other gentlemen mentioned with this genera-
tion for to my regret Mrs. Cabell has spread her
own character before the public at large and put
it in flaming letters on record in Nelson Court
and every body that ever heard the truth of the
case can testify to the facts. To this moment, ever
since Cousin Joe's death, I sincerely regret, that
such feelings should have been manifested on her
part and hope that I have never had any feeling
but that of a Christian towards her. I intended
to say that I decided a short time after writing
to you not to attempt to put the protest on record
but to agitate the matter as little as possible un-
less I thought there were some persons ignorant
of the facts--consequently I have ceased to mention
the matter atall and shall not again allude to
it unless it is forced upon my attention in some
way. I pray God to make me an instrument of
good and not of evil!

You will perhaps be interested to know some of the provi-
sions of Miss Peggy Rives' will which have been made
public, as she was a relation of ours and some of
her heirs likewise. The real Est. Oak ridge is given
to Mr Alexr. Rives and her personal Estate for the most
part to be divided equally between her brother Dr. Landon
Rives and her sister Mrs. Alex. Brown and Mrs. Pollards
children. I understand that there were about forty ser-
vants. If you have heard of the difficulties which sur-

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Packet Boat 12 o'cl M[eridian]

rounded the family of Gen. Brown and his son Robert,
my brother-in-law, some time since you would join me
in congratulating them upon this prospect of being re-
lieved in great measure from their worldly troubles.
The people of Nelson feel the loss of Miss Peggy Rives
very keenly--she was truly a good woman and a
kind & affectionate neighbor--she was a member of
the Episcopal church and used her means freely
in providing for Trinity Church, near her, during
her life time. I hope it may not be long before
we may have a good resident at Oak ridge-one
who will be a worthy representative of the former
occupant. I hardly think, however that Mr Alexr
Rives will leave his place in Albemarle, tho' some
of his children may become possessed of it.
You said in one of your letters that you would
try to come up to see us in Nelson some time in
February--I hope, Sir, you will not relinquish
this intention--we shall all be delighted to see
you & I hope you will come as soon as you can.
Remember me to all the members of your family
when you see them & Believe me very affectionately yours

Willm: D Cabell

William D. Cabell (1834-1904) was executor for the estate of Jefferson's friend and University of Virginia co-founder Joseph C. Cabell. During the war he served as a commissary for the Confederacy and organized the Nelson County Home Guard. After the war he took his relative John W. Daniel (1842-1910), severely wounded at the Wilderness, to Philadelphia for treatment. There he met and married for a second time, a distant cousin Mary Virginia Ellet (1839-1930), daughter of a noted civil engineer and Union naval officer, Charles Ellet (1810-1862). The two of them ran the Norwood Institute for Girls and Young Ladies in Washington, D. C. Later Mrs. Cabell helped organizer the Daughters of the American Revolution and served as the first Vice President General. Letters of John W. Daniel and Mary Virginia Ellet Cabell are also being blogged at this site.