My dear Christian Friend
I was not greatly surprised by the receipt of yours
of the 25th June nearly a month after its date and was truly rejoiced to hear from
once more after so long & painful an interruption of our correspondence by the most cruel
and wonderful War what has disgraced the history of christian nations for centuries
past--You & my Northern friends have been daily the subjects of my thoughts so often
of my conversation with my [?] latest adherence to the Union (as almost to expose
me to suspicion of loyalty to the South) --while in my prayers you were never forgotten.
and as you say "war or no war" never shall be forgotten--For I am sure scores of such
men as I associated with at the North are as you & true men I have ever known--I
only have full & frank intercourse with men of the like character of the South to agree with-
out difficulty upon the principles of an amiable adjustment of our disgraceful quarrel--
I am sorry to hear your private griefs like mine have been thickly mixd with our national
calamity--since this was I have lost two of my children--both parents of large families of children--
For the loss of your fine Boy Willie I deeply sympathise with you--but in the whole history
of our distracted country there never has a time been known when you could with more probity
say "he has been taken away from the evil to come" In my case I am consoled with the
remembrance of Him who has said for the comfort of departing parents--leave thy fatherless
children I will preserve them alive & let they widows trust in me and truly I have not
gone unblessed for several of my parentless good children have give hopeful signs of a saving
interest in religion--Remeber me most cordially to Dr. & Mrs Nott Mr & Mrs Ransom & the other
friends you mention by name--I am afraid to mention others lest I might mistake feelings - since
I have seen the unmeasured denunciations of the South by such men as your Ex.Gov: King & your Revd
Rev. Kirk
Doctors Spring & Tyng ^--this may be bringing me too near to the Contraband of War to find a passport
thro the hands of Gen. Dix to whose kind feelings we are indebted for our intercourse--Nevertheless
I hardly blame from what I know of the character of Gen Dix that he can be afraid of much mis-
chief being plotted between an Octogenarian & one of three score years & ten--I shall therefore be pretty free
as what I
in my remarks on public affairs--Nothing doubting-that ^ shall say is truth & be of use
& others
to Gen D ^ himself if as I hope he is a christian
[page 2]
or no war is essentially at variance with all that is christian it may exist where the fault
Fire eaters with higher law Faulty on both sides pro[o]f Af s trade
may be only on one side-not so in this our war--we have our faults to answer for on both
sides--none can deny that in the commencement the initiative that was later in the inauguration
of the higher law--assuming to set aside the rights of the constitional compact which bound us
together--this first aggressive movement of Northern fanaticism stirred up the fireeaters of the South
to flare up in retaliation by the open advocacy of the piratical atrocities of the slave trade
spectacle
both sides exhibiting the disgraceful
are over[?] & totally disregarded--But of all the wars which have disgraxced the History of
modern Cristendom ths war of ours is the most disgraceful--passing over the disgusting details of
crimination & recrimination which under petty exitement have been crowded into the last years history
of our country with all the appalling details of bloood shed & pestilence & destruction--and ruinous in-
debtedness which eclypses all former examples known in History--let us ask ourselves what results
have been attained ? and what are we now fighting for? The South contended for their rights as guaranteed
to them under the Constitution.
the aggression of the south yet --the present posture of affairs exhibits the whole power of the North
arrayed under a consolodated[sic] Military despotism-carrying on a War of invasion, claiming unconditional
submission to their dominion while they openly proclaim their design of establishing Universal Emancipation
among our slaves -- and universal confiscation of our property of all who oppose them this leaves no alterna-
liberty Again
tive to us but unconditional submission or to fight it out to
details which have occurred since the extremes of fanaticism & fire eaters stood out arrayed
against each other while [?] Christian men of the Soouth acknowledge they have incurred
than does our
sins to be answered for they re[li]giously believe they have less to answer for ^ the Enemy-
let me recur to the single act[?] of preventing & denouncing the Slave trade recordered in our Constitution
while we have yet to learn the first abatement of Northern pretensions except when extorted by
circumstances-Now then what are we fighting for? We claim for ourselves the right of self govern-
which you can never give
ment under some new guarantees --since your side have proven to us they were not sufficient under
a right Va. reserved to herself
the old Constitution--
the [?] states
acted upon yourselves--Massachusetts by her State Legislature stands seceded from
reserved quotes Va art. of ratif
revolutionary gift and your the question arises whether Rebellion of freemen can be restrained from
asserting with armies their right to chase their own form of government against the de[?] of 18 millions who
a partial draft of a letter from General John Hartwell Cocke to a northern friend on the subject of the South's right to secede. Cocke, the only surviving member of the first University of Virginia Board of Visitors, was involved in numerous ante-bellum reform movements including temperance. He manumitted many of his own slaves, but only on the condition that they emigrate to Liberia.
MSS 640
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