Morganza Louisiana Friday June the 10th/64 My Dear Elizabeth I hasten to drop you a letter not that I am in a hury but having to do my writing when I have nothing else to do & not knowing when I wil be cald on to do something I tharefour shall improve the present time in droping a small letter to you I am well & harty as ever & I hope this may find you well thare was a mail come to day I got only one letter ( rather uncomon two ) & it was from Bety Prichett she said that you was well she did write me a good letter & I think she deserves better luck than she has had but an allwise provadence has the management of our spiedutal[?] afares & to him be all the Praze we are now in camp we got in yesterday from a 4 days scout up the river we did not find much rebels & tharefour did not have much of interest we got some 4 or 5 prisners the wether is very hot now with a shower of rain evry hour or two about anough to give a man a good weting if he goes out to the river or any whare else a shower of rain has just past over & left evry thing good wet I received a letter from Elvira Ashby the other day she & her litle Mack was well she spels his name this way Mcilister Ashby ha,ha,ha,ha Captain J T Anderson is struting around here as usal he promist me twice to give me a furlo to go to Thibadeaux, La but he has not don so and I do not know whether he will or not = he told me this morning that he would presntly but has not donit the mess is all well to day Samuel is writing Mart is seting in his tent lisening to John Clark reading a letter from somebody I do not know [torn] Oscar is walking around & Lee is out some whare or other the black boy Joe is gon to the river after watter to get dinar I have got a two litle chickens one rooster & one hen & they stay rite around my tent & look like it is all rite with them but some of thease days I will pass a sentance on them & they will have go the way of all southerners & I will be the beter off by it for I will have a mess of soup with peper & salt I have nothing of importance to write & I am lazy two that you know is the cause of to many short letters being sent to frends afar off Joe is biling some beaf for super or dinar rather for it is not so late yet but what a man must eat dinar M A Hooker Morganza Louisiana when you spell Louisiana put in 3 a's one i & one n & the n next to the last a thare is no news of importance going on I maild you a letter the other day with a dollar of Lincoln green in it Tel George to be a good litle boy tel him & tel Alice that I am well & I am coming home some day to sea how they have groad When this you sea remember me tho many milds apart we be excuse my carelessness for I am so mean that I can hardly live yours truly til deth M A Hooker to Elizabeth Jane Hooker & son Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723