Morganza La June 22nd/64 My Dear Elizabeth I seat my self to drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well to day except of a soar mouth my mouth has bin soar for some time & it looks lik I cant cure it I have just returnd from the landing Martha came this far with me on bord the Sultana bound for Cairo Ills George Carey also was in that boat Martha wil proberly beat this letter home if so I hope that she has got thare safe & I trust that you & her will be of servis to each other during my absence I sent my coat home that I capturd at bayou Chafalaya I thought that it would be to hard to keep washt you ought to have sean me this morning when I put on a new shirt & a paper colar some to those times I am going to have my photograph taken some of theas times when I get lots of money & I dont know if I dont send you on of them now Lizzie anything that you want don tel Martha & Jimey & they can help you Jimey is big anough to go to mill & hall up wood & go to town I hope that you all will stay together til I come home if you can agreably if not wil so so of corse = now Lizie I am not going to write much this time for my mouth hurts & frets me I wil send you some money as soon as I can get some give my respects to all Hamilton County & save all my love for your self now good by Lizie My Dear Jimey is to do all the work out doors & you must tel him how to do George must go to scool all the time I am you husband til deth M A Hooker Morganza Louisiana Camp 87 Illinois Vol Vets 1864 camp 87 Ills Vol. Vets. Yours truly M A Hooker ___________________________ Martha Brown nee Hooker was his sister born in Henderson County KY before the war. How she ended up in New Orleans in the middle of the war is a mystery to us now but she had married an unknown Mr. Brown before the war and had a young son Jimmy. More mention later of Martha and Jimmy. We have no knowledge of what happened to Mr. Brown. Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723