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Memphis, Tenn. 22nd Nov, 1865
My Dear Sir,
I did not write to you from Ala. because I found that the mails between Atlanta & Mongomery were very uncertain & irregular. So that I thought it would be only time lost to try the experiment. I reached my Aunt's after many delays on Saturday the 10th but was prevented from going over to Greene by rains until Tuesday afternoon. I spent Tuesday night & the greater part of Wednesday with Mr Oberry who seemed very glad to see me & went on to the Col. Jones' that night-next day went up to Mr Tatwiler to see Will Shepard & spent that night with John Daves- returning to Greenbow early next morning (Friday) I found Col. Jones still uncertain as to the best plan to pursue so remained until late in the afternoon & went with the Col. and to his old place not far from yours & next day (Saturday) returned to Faunsdale stopping to see Oberry (who was absent) to leave some directions which I did with his wife & daughter.
I left Faunsdale Monday morning & arrived here this morning about 10 o'clock. I found Oberry had been much harrassed while endeavouring to save the Cotton & that small lots not exceeding 10 bales at a time had been stoled but the old man had followed it up & recovered the whole even at the risk of his life- he now has all that is bales in his smoke house & under the shed at the back of the house so that it is quite safe indeeed the stealing fever has subsided somewhat since most of the Government Cotton has been taken & private parties keep too close a watch on theirs for the thieves to prosper. Oberry told me that the grand jury of Green had found no less than 60 "true bills" against men for that crime alone at court a week before I was there. I was guided entirely by Col. Jones in regard to the Sale of the Cotton it was dull at that time & the river so low that only one small boat could come up & as she charged $20.00 per bag to Mobile it was not thought best to ship particularly as there was a promise of rain which would put the river up in which
case as there are plenty of boats at mobile waiting , freights would be reduced to $2.00 or $3.00 on the other hand cottoncould not be sold on the place, to reliable parties, for less than gets under the mobile quotations, so after much consideration or consultation we determined that I should come on out here & the Col. would try to effect the sale of a part at least of the cotton by the time I returned. Cotton was quoted in mobile at that time @ 44 to 50 cts in [Green?] @36 to 38 cts Fright on a bag by R.R. to Selena & down at a river $8.00 from [Candy's] landing $20.00 as I left Demopolis however the river had risen a foot & two or three small boats had come up & were taking it for $5.00 pr.bg. from that point so I hope the Col. will ship a part before I get back though I fear he has too much of his own business to attend to, to look after any one else very closely. The amount of Cotton on the place is as follows 110 bales packed 30 or 40 bales have been emptied in the blow room of Gin house this will not bring as much as the other by 4 or 5 cts as they say it is injured by repacking then there are from 50 to 75 bales still in the seed making a