1862 January 21 Columbus Miss

My dear Sir [Genl. John Hartwell Cocke]

I returned home this morning
after absence of six days in Greene County,
Ala. I left the servants well, the
stock of all kinds looking well for
the season of the year. We had
finished picking Cotton, and all hands
plowing, fencing, &c, &c, for another
crop. We have sent 75 bales cotton
from Hopewell to the River --50 from
New Hope, & think we have about
15 bales at each place to pack, but
have no Rope & baging, & will let
it lie in the Gin Houses till I
can get Rope & gaging--the
whole Crop will amt to 150 or 155
bags Cotton--We will finish plowing
the Evans field for Corn this week &
will then commence plowing the
Duffy field for Corn, & think it
will be best to manure, & put the
same Cotton land in Cotton again.
I expect to sow 100 bushels oats
the wheat & Rye looking well
Sweet Potatoes Keeping Well as far

[page 2]
as we have tried them--We commenced
Gardening this week. Smith will send
you the Guinea Grass roots the first
week in Feby--I hope you have
recd the chicory seed. I have set
out about a mile more in Rose cuttings
& replanted the hedge running from the
Bolling Field Gate to Smiths' field--
I expect to increase the hands as many as
4 after the middle of next month & will
do all I can in the way of opening
& bringing into Cultivation the wood
land on New Hope place, but it will
depend upon the suitable weather How much
I can clear this year--
I borrowed $230 & paid the Taxes this
trip down--I can not collect a
dollar that is due us--I bought the
shoes in the Summer in the Town &
sent them down to Greene==I paid $1.75
for each pr. I fear I shall not be able
to hire the mechanics this year for any thing
like their worth, but, I will build, & repair
on the two places what houses we need.
In some parts of our country, you
can get Servants by paying taxes, clothing
& feeding them one year--They hire very
low every where--I am willing to keep

[page 3]
Johnathan here at $200, or I can send
him down, & let him work in the
crop at New Hope--I hired out
for my Son in Law (Mr Edmonds) a
good Brick Mason for $200--
I will take Betsey off & sell her as
soon as people can sell cotton-
I think now I will take her to Jackson
or Vicksburg next May & sell her---
The Servants all understand she is to be
sold--I have bought some sugar & molasses
for the Servants & young men on the plantation
They Seem to be obedient, & doing as well
as I could expect for young persons to do.
Robert at New Hope marked Some Shoats
belonging to Capt Cocke through mistake
or intentionally, & I have promised to
Capt that I will attend to the matter.
When I go down again about
the middle of Feby--& at which time
I will write to you again, God
Willing--My earnest prayers are
that, God will Sustain you in
your deep affliction I wrote
Mrs Cocke a few days since--
Did the Genl. leave a Will? &c &c--
I recd letters from the Bottom to day, all
well & nearly ready to report the num[ber]

[page 4]
of bales cotton. I suppose will be 200 bales
at Yazoo place & about 100 at Silver Creek
place----Too much rain for the fresh
land on Silver Creek place--Mr Powell
& Mrs P's love to you & the family--
You all have their prayers--
Yr friend Y Bro in Christ
R. D. Powell
Genl. John H. Cocke.

Genl John H Cocke
Bellmead Mills
Powhatan Co.
Va.

See the letters of slave Lucy Skipwith to Cocke, October 28 and December 1 regarding the slave Betsey who had given birth to a "white baby." The reasons for her sale are not given, but it appears to have been on the order of Cocke.
MSS 640