Letter - October 27, 1862   
Camp Hancock Oct 27^th /, 62

We are coming, Father Abraham, Six hundred thousand more,
From Mississippi's winding stream, And from New England's shore.
We leave our ploughs and workshops,
Our wives and children dear, With hearts too full for utterance,
With but a silent tear.
We will not look behind us, But steadfastly before.
We are coming, Father Abraham, Six hundred thousand more!

Dear Mother,
I got your letter that you wrote when you was in Ridgeville, and I have been waiting to see where you went to from there. But have not got a line since. I suppose that you must have had a pleasant visit with our friends and relatives. I hope that you have had a pleasant time. I am as well and hearty I could wish for, except that I have a pretty bad cold. The boys [from] our neighborhood are all usually well and they send their best respects. I got a letter from Father day before yesterday. He said that he and the rest of the family were well.
We got have got all of our 40 dollars now and all of our guns and equipments. We got our dress suit a few days ago. The coat is of a dark purple blue and the pants are of a light sky blue. We have got every [thing] that we want now. We expect to get marching Orders every day, but there is no telling how soon we shall go. We may [go] tomorrow, and we may not go for a month. If you should come back before we leave, you must give us a call, and I think that you would be very thankfully received (you would be on my part at any rate.) When I think that I may never see any of your dear faces, it makes me feel ----. But if we should never meet here on earth I hope to meet you where there will be no more parting and, no more sighing forever.
Yesterday morning my thoughts were all in a whirl. I will relate to you the circumstances. At about 5 oclock, was we were awakened by hearing the [long roll] which means that every man must turn all ready to fight. We had some ammunition given us, and then we marched to camp Douglas. When we got there, the cap't told us that every man must look out for himself. We marched down in front of one of the barracks and ordered the monsters to come out. They finally came out, and we took them prisoners, which amounted to just this, that we marched to Camp Douglas and took 1000 prisoners before breakfast. We were highly complimented afterward by the colonel [Colonel George B. Hoge.] Well, I guess that I will have to bring this to a close. From your affectionate son.
Please write soon,
E.L. Chatfield