Fort Grafton
Tuesday night Feb 25th

My darling wifey

The expedition to Newport
News has’nt yet started and as it was to
have started this morning I rather
think it has been given over–The expedi-
-tion was too much talked about not to have
miscarried–The enemy were enabled to
throw 2000 men into the place last friday
Lieut Brown was ordered to Richmond this
morning and as he had just returned
from a furlough, we are afraid that
he is to be detached from this company
If so, the company wont be worth shucks
and the sooner I can get out of it, the
better I will be pleased–He is the
only officer except perhaps Davy Watson
at all popular or qualified to govern
men—Capt Southall has’nt the judgment
of a pig and is led about by Lieut
Peyton whethersoever he will–I am
anxious and uneasy, all the time Lieut
Brown is away, lest the other officers
may do something foolish–
one of the young men in the company
has authority from the War department
to raise a company and thereby will
obtain an indefinite furlough–I dont
want to reenlist unless it is absolutely

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necessary, but I would like to be engaged
in raising a company or at least
trying as it would relieve me from
the disagreeabilities of camp life=
I shall go to Yorktown shortly to see
if Mr Magruder has been able to
do anything for me and if not,
I think I shall apply for authority
to raise a volunteer company &
if I cant raise the company I can
see you.
I never told you how near I
came to poisoning myself sometime
ago–I had two bundles in my
trunk one of confederate coffee
and the other of tobacco and wishing
to make a cup of coffee, I used
the tobacco through mistake and
made a very fine decoction of
tobacco juice which would have
made me very sick had I not
found it out before I took more
than one mouthful.
Excuse this awful scrawl and
believe that I am as ever your
devoted Husband

[page 3]
why have’nt you sent my cape
tooth brush & Greek lexicon?
I recd last night your letter
written 10th January, and it
excited me very much–I
had’nt noticed the date, and
the letter commenced by
saying that you expected me
home immediately

Your devoted Husband

Howe Peyton Cochran, Sgt., 1st Virginia Artillery

MSS 9380