Mouth of White River Arkansas Oct the 18th My Dearest Elizabeth I seat my self this evening to drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well & harty hoping this comes to hand in due time & finds you well the latest to you is the 13 the latest from you is the 27 of Sept We are looking for a mail boat due evry hour this morning early a boat caime down from Memphis in 12 hours time bringing the news that Talor had atacked Memphis & was fighting when they left so thare was 5 or 6 steamers laying here & the Inftry immeaditly boarded then & left for Memphis leaving there tents all here I am inclined to think that old Talor will not have a Banks to fight this time you ought to sea my litle shanty Mart Mann & me stays in it together it is so snug with a litle fier place to it I washd my clothes yesterday mabe you would wish to know what I washt a pare of pants which I have to patch as soon as they get good dry 2 shirts 1 pare of drawers 2 pare of socks one towel we drawed new clothes yesterday I got two pare of the pritest Drors you ever sean I have plenty of clothes now. wel Lizzie I have become to be an old soldier I have been in the servis 2 years & 2 months & 5 days & I am not dishartend about the progress of the war I think I am fighting in a good cause & I am well satisfide altho I would love to sea my litle family once more or be with them & above all things I would rather take care of them but I cannot say that I am tierd of this war us soldier has been so rongfuly represented such as dieing & fainting by the way side tierd of the war & willing to make peace on disonerble terms all this sort of thing til we have dubled our resolution & now let me say for the soldier not for the cowerd or trator ( we are not tierd of this war we wil fight it out to its biter end thare comes the (Idahandy) let me go and see her for she has a mail I will finish after we sea if a mail comes } yes the mail came & I received one letter from you of Oct the 9 & a lot of news paper envelops & the central of the 12 from St. Louis hurah buly for that hurah for Lincoln how I love to get letters from my sweet lady & Litle children when I opend the letter the lilte paper fel out & of corse I picket it up to sea what it was & I red it the first time for in [this page and its reverse were seperated from their original over time and I believe belong to this letter of Oct. 18th. It was a half sheet torn from a whole sheet and I believe added as an insert to the letter] holding it up to the light I [torn] see the shape of the stamps wasent that bad I couldent help it tho I thank you for your nice gift of the paper Envelops how nice they they are what a prity Kiss you sent me you must not send all of the kisses down here for I must have some when I get home there was a man that servd 3 years in the 24 Ind & joinde the veterans & the other day he or she had a baby ( a girl I supose) he or she was a corprel dont you say buly for the litle Corprel she is to be discharged. Posey has bin all over Ky on a scout he sean Brother Aps & his wife I would send it but I supose he has writen to you be this time [over] The City of Alton is coming down she will bring a mail two I wil send you the 28 & bitime you reciv it your paper will come to you The lady that wrote to me from Shady lawn is by name Mrs Tomlin she sent me a paper the other day the Northwestern Advocate - the 124th Ills took a vote the other day resulting in 502 for Lincoln & 19 for McLelan that is about the way Mac runs among the soldiers Posey has drug me in to politics we are writing some buly letters now I beleave that is all thare is no prospect of leaving here I wil not nead any more paper stamps as you wil get the paper by mail I am ever yours truly Mac to Lizzie [text continuing on the back of the Oct 18th letter] There is three steamers come down from Memphis after troops the rebel forest is reported moving on thare with 14000 men & Captain Coon has orderd every man to be ready to move rit off tho I do not supose that we wil go thare is no talk of us going any way I wish that we could go two I do not want them (the rebels) to have another victory for to elect thare grate champion McLelan the river is very full here & troops is in a stir I am yours truly Tuesday Night 8 Pm Mac you may have this as a keep sake & all other such letters as this Mac I am in fine helth good spirits nice humor & full of love for you & the children Mac with this I send my best love to you & Alice & George Mac Direct to M A Hooker Co A 87th Ills Mtd Inft Cavel Forses West Miss & while you think me here you may say at the right hand loure corner Mouth white R Ark dont forget to make your 87th plain so it wil not look like 80 or 81 I get my leters beter than some do your Mac Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723