Helena Ark. January the 29th 1864[sic] My Dearest Elizabeth I seat my self to write you a letter this leaves me well and harty hoping that this may find you all well We have had some very cold wether for this country and it seames to me for any country Ice is in good scating order in the litle ponds around Town and the ground is froze some 7 or 8 inches deep we have very confertable quarters to live in and a nice camp General Buferd is making our Regt put on more stile than we ever did befor Capt Bight is under arest and is to be courtmarsheld for mistaking a Cols hous for a house of bad women and broke in to it he will very likely be dismist from the sevis or worse the last letter from you bore the date of the 13th of January I received a letter from Elizabeth Pritchett to day she tels me of severl good things one of you being as prety as when you mared and another of Maries being mareed I am studeing arithmatic I have got me one & slate & now of nights when I am in camp I am studeing I am thinking that if I shal ever get home I will have to fashon somthing more congenial to my helth than hard work or else the armey with all its good and helthy qualities will induce me thither again 3 years sevis in the army maks a man love it and now you may account for men reinlisting tho we are denide that chance of reinlisting The Opinion is that we will go out of the sevis in August next if so my notion is to retier from the servis for life at least so long as I have a family to take care of A B Porter has come back he says that Julies is going to be mareed to Dave Sanderfurd in a day or two after he left the gurrillers tride to get hold of him while he was there This place is a very nice litle town There is a grate talk up in camp about Blairs mission to Richmond & talk of peace which may be quite distant I will send you the Central it is sent to me by some one I dont know who I have no more to write at this time I am still your most obedient sevant & Lover till deth shal us part Beleave me I am all rite M A Hooker to his beter half Direct to M A Hooker Co A 87 Ills Vols Helena Ark 3 hours later PM This leaves me well & harty hoping that this may reach you in due time & finds you well and harty Bill Oneal is down here & says that the pepal is doing all they can to keep from the draft he says that George Herd has squeese & puld at his bag till it sweld up & he was examined & got his exemption papers so he is clear of the draft now but under some pain in the (-) I am sory the boys are voluntering I wanted the draft to come & sweep stakes Bill is a powerfull lier & keeps the boys allways in an uproar of laughtur he tels how the boys are dreding the draft 3 P.M. The Hamilton paper has turned Union & the boys are subscribing for it I get two reglar paper a week the Northwestern & the Central So I will close hoping to here from you soon I am your true husband til deth Helena Ark Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723