Morganza Louisiana Tuesday Morning July the 19th/64 My Dear Elizabeth after an abstinance from writing for 4 or 5 days I thought that I would write you a leter I am looking any moment for a mail but may be disapointed some days yet I am tolerble well to day but I feal a litle bad I think it was riding so hard yesterday & day befour in the hot sun sometimes we would ride 4 or 5 milds as hard as the horses would carey us we liked to have got Captain Rattlett; he is the Commander of a company of Confederates this side of achafelaya bayou. we caught up with him & 5 of his men & dasht on him & run him 4 milds helter scelter & one of our men run up beside of him & commenst bateling him with the sabre & the Captain turnd & shot him dead & got away He belonged to the 1st La. Cavel I did not get to close my self for I sorter helt back on the bit instead of spuring mot with standing I got up close anough to snap my pistol all around & it would not go off as I had lay out a night or 2 befour that in a hard rain & it had hurt my pistol or revolver more than my self after 2 days scout we returnd to camp & this morning I feal stupid riding hard along a dusty hot road is very heavy on a man but if theas scouts interest you it does not me I have a litle tent now to my self the tent it self is like 2 table cloths sewed to gether & strecht abut this way [small drawing of a tent labeled with numbers] figer 2 tent 3 bunk 4 stove drove up as hie as my head in this little house I have not got much furniture let me sea I can tel you the bunk which is simply made of bords litle shortones lade on 2 poles 6 feet long then 2 nails drove in post figur 4 & on one hangs my towel & on the other a candle stick with a half candel in it & when I come in of a night I light it to sea how to straten up my bead on the other post just like no 4 at the other end of the tent is 2 nails & on them hangs my blouse & haversack & canteen at figur 5 is a litle writing table on it is a peas of an oil cloth & on that lays my day book containing all the scouts & batels of 64 & my botel of ink & some loose pens whare I am now writing at figer 8 is an other box set up & on it is seting a segar box with something in it not segars tho but some paper Colars your likness some black flax thread & some whit thread & paper & paper of neadles we are campt on the bank of the river my tent is about 30 steps from the ege Captain Anderson is gon out on a scout with 7 of Co A & some from other Copys The boys in the mess is all tolerble well it is clear to day & pleasent the ave[?] is blowing nicly & is not so warm to day as on former ocasions I sent you 40 dollars the other day it is nice money & is drawing 5 percent interest from last march thare four making it beter than gold I wish the mail would come in shurley the rebels has stopt up the river or somthing else I get tho that we will get a mail to day some time tel George that my horse is as fat & slick as a mole & can run like a deer & stop like any other horse fer I stopt him yesterday morning at a house & got a prity litle girl to fill my canteen full of sweet milk & you may know he rids easey for I eat as much milk as I could hold & then I rode on fast to ketch up & it ded not slop out & he poses two I like to for get to tel you you must rit soon & often I will pay postage on this fer it is worth paying for yours truly honey write me a sweet letter good & lovly M A Hooker Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723