This is a letter from Hansford Eller to Luke Eller, his father. Hansford is serving in the Confederate Army and has been away from home for some time, and is hoping to come back soon. His grandmother, he says, has grim outlooks on both the war and her lifespan, and he relays her worries to his parents, although he implores them to not worry about him much, for if they pray, he claims, then he will be fine and they will win the war. Hansford talks as well about how he swapped his mare for another horse.