[written sideways across the top of the letter] I am going to write a political letter next time yours Mac Mouth of White River Ark Oct the 6th 1864 My Dearest Elizabeth I received yours of 27 of Sept 1864 yesterday it made a quick trip being mailed the 29 of Sept John Clarke got one the sametime & he said it was quick anough for a letter & said that if he was to get one any quicker he would let it alone a day or two befour he broke it open I would love to get one as soon as you get don writing it if posable yours of the 27 was a good letter you said that you had bought a hog from John Mann I have just got thru building a new house for winter some are expecting to stay here all winter you sea that I cant write the cause is that I have bin at work hard the last day or two building me a shanty I drawed some new clothes yesterday a new cavelry jacket & a new wolen blanket & pare socks I have on hand 2 blankets 2 pare of pants 4 shirts pare boots 2 pare of drawers 2 hats 2 pare of socks plenty for the winter & I have my last winter over coat you may sell that coat at home if you want to I told you to once befour but I never herd that you did. I have just washt my neck & put on a wolen shirt & it scraches me so I dont like knit shirts much til I get used to them Mart Mann says they are lik a new wife they want to keep to close to a felow there is only 6 men in No 1 now Lee Gosudge has gon up White river to Blacksmith for the two Companys that is up thare the Regt is in 3 parts now & I do not care if they never get them to gether any more I received a letter from M J Ashby yesterday and he told me that old onkle Peter Ashby was dead he died some time ago of consumption it was sad news to me when I read it the tears came in my eye to think of the old man pasing from this world to I hope a beter one he was a good old man & served the Lord long & earnest he suported the ministry & don many good things & furnishd 3 sons for the defense of his cuntry we wil say pease go with him & may the Lord bles the bereafed family think for a moment thares your Father onkle Peter Ashby onkle Henry all gon & soon onkle Jesey wil pass off realy we hate to here of thoes old veterans passing off gut one thing sirtain all have to die Lizzie I am mity harty & galey & in good spirits yet my mind is often drawed on serious things look at the widow & orphans made by this war how solum = but this subject I must quit for I am not doing my duty on it & some time when I get a good chance I wil give it calm consideration & now as I have let you sorter ease down on the political question I must tel you who I am for & I think when I write you the next leter you wil go with me you know that I was a McLelans man at first but I cant swallow the Chicago Convention to save my life & the plat form wont go in my mouth atall I would as soon undertake to swalow a cows head horns & all as the Chicago Convention & the platforms is moulting to a soldier & I am fighting the same kind of men that made it The Chicago Convention was the best republican cuter I ever sean it cut thousands & thousands evry day since it met 6 months ago there was only 3 Lincoln men in Co A now there is 25 I speak of this as a fact not for any man to Lectioneer on for no person should make a big blow about any thing for I have learnd that the least said is the easiest mended since I have been in this war. War is abroad in our land & we should not be so radical & all secret lodges & partyism is ruines to our Contry thare is plenty of good men going for McLelan & plenty of good men going for Abe & Andy I dont recon tho that we wil come home to vote I here no talk of it now the vice president runing under McLelan said that he thankt his god that he never voted for a Dollar to pay me for exposing my self in the Army nor for a man to help me to fight & put down this rebelion Can I suport him know I will not go no such thing I am a war man all over & never for peace til we can get an onerble peace Can I go for a man that evry victory goes against him that our grate Army atcheaves Know God for bid can I be for a man that whoes frends said that inspite of the Captur of Atlanta they would elect McLelan Know Can I vot for a man that if the rebel Army over here was to come here & whip us or kill all of us would make in his favor & help to elect him Know but thank God we must go for the man that is for us & does all he can to help us if our Army gains a victory it is a Deth blow to McLelan if the Rebel Army gains a victory over us it makes in his favor the Army is ruling the Nation do you not know that if I had it in my power I would hang Valanying Powel of Ky Fernando Wood & a few other trators who is suporting Mac you say for me to vote for McLelan do you think that I would fight one way & vote rit the other how curius think how I would look going arm in arm the the pols to vote with a man that calls me or Lincoln hierland Nigar freer Abolitionist & all this sort of thing but what is the use of me talking so you may know that I am no rebel simpathizer remember two that I am for Abe & Andy Johnson of Tenn but I am more for the war than any thing else & if I had no family I would reinlist the first chance dont talk of peace until all rebels is put in prison or cut off from our land as they so justly deserve I do not want a man to call me a Lincoln hierland after me doing all that I have don thinking two that I was doing my duty & now it is don I will suport it rite or rong & the first man that curses me for being a soldier had beter pick out his place to die for I am pade to kill trators & I would rather kill a copperhead any day as a rebel soldier I am not tierd of the serious nor dont espect to be I am your truly Mac Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723