Helena Arkansas Apl the 12 1865 My Dear Elizabeth I seat my self to inform you that this rainey morning finds me well and harty hopeing that this may find you & all well. The camp is jublient over the recent victory of the Union Army An last night at 11 P.M. we got a dispatch from Richmond stating that Lee had surenderd himself and his whole Army to Lieut. General Grant so you see the Army of Northern Virginia is gon ¦¦¦ and with it we may predict that the Rebelion is gon ¦¦¦ too the boys are all runing through camp in grat excitement and soon we are expecting to here old Fort Curtis belch fourth in peals of thunder such as hardly ever herd of 200 rounds are orderd to be fired. Who can expect to to do otherwise than to throw up his hat and halow hurah for the Union now Lizzie look for peace for here it comes in all its beauty The mail has come and I was fooled shure enough with your Apl fool letter but I am so surprised at Eaf letter that I am realy mad when may mail befour I would be run over that way I would sacrifice my life on the spot dear dear me Lizzie I am so surprised that Eaf had no more sence than to give his note - Well this world is made up of Coruption Lizzie be carfull dont say much about it let every one take care of his own affairs for you must suffer from such Vagabonds as prowl through that God for saken Country The draft is sweeping stakes in Hamilton I would rather have born half the expense of a Law Soot my self than to had Eaf to have don so Selma Alabama has be captured and the rebelion is going up in all sids 5 Men in Co A is drafted and we are having a big laugh over it. Hamilton County has got a fare set of Officers they have as many more men to furnish on account of having men on the role that cannot be drafted. We are looking for the pay master in a few days but whether we look in vain or not I am not able to say I hope not we have a powerfull chance of rain here latly infact it rains nearly all the time I have not drawed horses yet my duty consists in choping wood for camp halling feed halling rations the mounted men do picket duty cover gard & so on Oscar McGhee is on provo gard down in town. Give my respects to Betty and tel her I say for her to stay where she is and not run off to Ky Give my respects to Eliza and and tel her when I come home again I will come to see her Give my respects to sister Martha & Jimey kiss the baby or Alice for me and tel George that I am coming home again in a few months to stay with him I have not herd from P L Hooker yet The river is very full yet The boys are puting on the stile in a hury paper colars has got very plentiful again since recovering from the Blo[torn possibly blood] the got on the red river campaign you [torn] the rebels took a lot of paper collars from Banks Mareges Two of our boys are mared in town one was mared last night at 8 P.M. of Co. C One of the boys that was wounded in that litle fight that I was in died the other day John Mabery is geting beter R. W. Phelps is very sick in Regt Hospitle Martin Daley is still grunting Phelps sent word for some one to read of the captur of the rebel Army you see the soldiers hart is in the war. the mail cam in while I was writing an just as I coment and I took your Apl letter broke it open and the litle peace draft out on the table I took it up and sean the inscription be carfull then I thought of a likeness then of (hare) then ps stamps then ( as I was geting it open) of kisses and so you see I was fooled never mind I will pay you for it when I get home I thought of sending you one but did not as I thought the one I left would do when exposed to vew but it was received in March but if it will not do [torn] Apl fool I can say that I stole a (March) yours truly Mac Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723