Helena Ark. May the 27 1865 Lizzie 5 Days have elapsed since I have written and perhaps you think I must tel you something new by this time one reason for not writing sooner has been the hopes of teling you when I am coming home as we have received Orders to be mustered out but owing to the short sightedness of our officers we are obliged to stay a while yet I am not going to write much for I am Mad & when I an Mad I cannot write worth a cent General Renolds of Little Rock sent orders here to the general to muster out all the cavalry at this post as all the men that belongs to the cavalry arms of the servis whoes term of servis expires prior to Oct the 1st 1865 must be immediatley mustered out and instead of mustering us out rite off they have sent a dispatch to General Renolds at Little Rock to know if the 87 was included in that order and hence you see we have to stay here til we get answer to the enquiry and the time required will be between 5 & 10 days & tho it frets us we have to bare it and we might as well do it cheerfully as otherwise I thinks we will get the returned order in 5 or 10 days and then 5 or 10 days we can get the property turned over and get started home and 4 days to go home & 5 or 10 days to stay at Cairo or Springfield to be mustered out and then a day to go from there home and hence 36 days if we have good luck we will get home Where as if we had got our just rights we could have made it in 10 days less This leaves me well. Hopeing that in my next letter I may tel you more about coming home Henry Gollihur is very sick, So I must close hoping that you may do well till I get home I am yours Truly M A Hooker Co A 87 Ills Vols Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723