Helena Arkansas April 1st 1865 My Dearest Lizzie once more the time for writing to home has (after 2 or three days of seaming long duration) come. I thought according the the way I get my letter or yours, that you would get this next saturday evening and that is the time that some one from the Country is more likely to go to town I received yours of the 22nd and I think it was the last letter I ever get from you. days seamd like weeks after I got back and in a week I wanted to go home worse than I ever did I am well pleased with the extention of the yard and think it will help the looks of the place considerable. there wants to be a walk of 10 feet wide wide enough to alow a bugy to pass from the old yard to the lain gate and in eather side of this walk is needed small flower trees not large ones & flowers of all kinds but back a little say 8 feet from the walk should be large trees such as taim chery ceeder or so forth The town is still under water all but our camp which we leveyed in and it does fine two for it keep out all the wether only a litle seep through and we pump it out a grate many have boats & every where we go we go in boats except on picket we go around the levey and get out only a few have drawn horses yet 6 or 7 of Co A we all have drawn new sadels & new riging out and out such spurs bridels halters sadle blankets & soon John Clarke has got well & looks harty - tel Margret that the Army is the best place for John & me for in traveling 1000 milds & doing without sleep from the 28" of feb to the 7" of March at which time I got home and I was not well by a long shot but did not get very sick till on my way back when I liked to have get down but perserverance helpt to keep me up & when I got back all the boys was suprised to see me look so bad but I have recoverd now & have once more got to my old weight 135 pounds and being at home seamed like a dream to me infact I could not enjoy my self at home for my stay was so short and aware as I was that soon I was to leave all that was dear to me in this world The mail has just come in and I run out to see if I should be the lucky one to get a letter but no letter for me but the Union Eagle came and that is next to a letter from Home tho it contained nothing very interesting except the Cronicles of Power which I thought very good. I see in the papers that pay masters is at Memphis & Litle Rock two and soon I shal expect to be paid off tho no talk of it now but there will be no talk for he will be here the 1st thing we know. 6 new recruits came to Co A the other day 4 out of 6 is sick allredy the boys have a heap of fun out of them they are so green The news from Sherman Schofeald Grant and Tery is of the best quality two batles in which we was victorious severl thousands of prisners fell in to our hands Gold is down to 158 1/2 March the 27 has somes news in it if it proves to be so is the whol thing it self in which the southern Leaders have give up the Confedracy in despondency General Lee has said that no human power can save the Confedracy now and some 35 Congressman of the (Cfdcy) have gon in favor of making peace the evidence is circumstantial if true it is of grat importance Grate asertions are being mad some offer to bet others say that the southern Confedracy is gon up some say that peace will be made in 2 months My opinion is that the war is nearer to an end now than it has been yet or here tofour the fighting is said to be over by all hands I sent a letter to George Cottingham but have received no answer as yet I have not received a letter from P. L. Hooker in 2 months the Central still comes in its unclean aperance shurly I love that paper and all its readers and espeshely one. Lizzie give us a letter in the Central on some subject say on the pleasintness of Home. you are good enough writer spelling good is the mane point I solved enigma A. I tel you it was hard some are so easily solved that I am ashamed to send them Clarion Hamlin still sends me the Northwestern Advocate she omits taring off her name now it may be she has learnd that I am a mared man and her name is of no consequnce if she got my last letter she learnd that look my paper is full good by Lizzie Mac [postscript written sideways over the main text] this is 3 letters since I got back I get no letters from any one only home ever now nor I do not write as have not since I got back to any one but home I sent a letter to P. L. at Cairo I will write to vince again soon. Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723