[heading omited to avoid confusion] My Dear Elizabeth Jane Hooker I hasten to drop you a few lines in answer to yours of august the 13 received a day or two ago & had just writen one & did not immeaditly write I headed this letter for sept thinking that probly I would not write til next month but to day I thought that I would write to you we have orders to take good care of the horses for the next two weeks for we are to start on a march the Col. commanding says that we will start in two weaks some place & you ought to here the boys conjecture & profacy for as usal you sea no one knows whare or when some say to Alabamy some say to Mobeal some say to Virginia & to Tenn & to Ark some say to make a rade to New Iberia or Appalouses La. but it all does not amount to any thing but I forgot to say that the most of the talk is that we are going to Southern Illinois to stop the Coperheads from rizing & killing the union pepal some of the boys says that the Generl said that he was going to send us thare & asked the Major if he could comand us at home & the Major said that he could march us rite thrue our owen yards & we would not leave the ranks now says you I wonder if they (the 87") will come home to fight & as I belong to the Regt mabe I can answer that question beter than a man at home I will say I hardly think so not no how about 12 months the 87" is coming home not sooner I do not think I received a letter from Susan L Ashby the other the other day she tels me that she is going to be mared soon to I do not know who all was well thare & all of them is beging for my photograph they say that they have forgot how I look I could tel them that I (look out of my eys ) my opinion is that we will not go from this place or from the river to stay any length of time we may go on a rade & return but not to any other portion of the Army tho we may it is not imposable yet I think it is not proble if you sea Davey Groves tel him that I think that hanging him brot him to a sence of his duty I hope spirituly & I think temperly & now the old proverb all is well that ends well we had one of the largest ranes that I have sean in La night before last & it thretend to capsize my litle house oh how it pored down my tent shelterd me tho & after it quit I got up to sea how the wether lookt & when I got off my bunk it was knee deep in water I slunged around a litle & got back to my nest satisfide to stay til morning at least it made me think of the night that you likd to drounded & I could not help laughing to think what a soldier you would make let me tel you a funey circumstance the other night I went to turn over about midnight & down caim my litle bunk curthrash & I thought in a moment of the night at slat[?] and so near equality I sorter leveld it alitle & then lay down tickeld at thoughts & more than ever convinst that to turn over is sufisiant to thro down a bed or to be near proper a bunk not withstanding a man will be accused rongfuly when to my sirten noleg his is inocent Mart Mann has got my botel of ink & I am using this blue ink in plase From what I can learn it will be in the winter befour I can draw any more money tel Enoch to read the story of (western yarn) & then laugh rit big for me tel George to look at the long necked man tel me how he like them (returnd) Kiss all the children for me & remember me for I am sirtanly yours obediantly until deth M A Hooker Co A 87 Ills Mid Inft My Papers white My ink is blue my love to you is very true Mac to Lizie adress to M A Hooker Co A 87 Ills Vol Mtd Inft Cavel Forses Dept of Gulf the 3rd Brig is broke up thare is no Brig now it must be Cavel Forses or Cav Div Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723