1865 Helena Arkansas January the 7"/65 My Dearest Elizabeth I hasten to drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well & harty and that I have moved since I writen to you last we got orders to pack up immedeatily yesterday morning and at 10 A.M. we was all on board the steamers Reserve and John H Dickey and started for this place distend 50 milds whare we arived this morning some time befour day light and I have fixt me a litle shabang to sleep in till we get houses built so you see a soldiers fate moved away from whare we had good warm shantys rite in the midel of winter and thrown out of doors to eather build more or stay out in the wether tho the Col says he is going to have good houses built in a few days and some men have gon to day to cut logs to build with I have a good place considering evry thing to sleep to night tho no fier place I think that I will not freeze and by time you get this I shal probely have a good house to stay in Mart and me had our hay to sleep on and our bunk and I have my litle writing table fixt up which is the main part of a soldiers house furniture on which I am writing and the mud since this mornings freeze has get off is very cold and to night has the apearance of being cold we have not sean any snow this winter tho the ground was froze hard anough this morning to rase up a barn I under stand that we have to do picket duty here which will be some harder on us and I am looking to eather be on to night or tomorow night. the sun is geting low and the cold begins to pinch me now and you will have to put up with a short letter for my toes is very cold now and I shal have to close I should not have writen atall til I had a good chance but thinking that I should be on duty tomorow and it would be severl days befour we could be fixt up comfortable and of corse I dont write much now but I will make it up in the future Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723