Will Fisher to his mother
Camp 123rd Regt. NYSV, near Sandy Hook, Maryland
October 17, 1862

Dear Mother,

I received your letter of the 11th day before yesterday and the eve of the 11th. I received the first one you wrote of the 3rd which you was afraid has been miscarried. So I have had two from you, and one last night also from James Richard.
We are on the same camp ground yet. It begins to seem like home but I think before 24 hours roll around we will leave it. I think our whole brigade will move across the river into Virginia.
The sound of the booming gun constantly came to our ears all day yesterday. It was about 18 miles from here when it commenced, so it is rumored. I tell you the guns talked pretty loud. We had one other day of hard firing at Edwards Ferry when the Rebels tried to cross there. The boys all get excited & anxious to start as quick as they hear the first gun, but the fact is we are under marching orders and will move soon.
Perhaps you will like to know how we live here. I tell you we live hard, but honest. You see we can’t have any bread when we are moving around, so I have not had any bread since I left Arlington Heights. We have these hard crackers or sea biscuit & I tell you, after what I have eaten of them I have not got the complaint which horses are subject to, that is, the lampas. Aside from these, we have bacon, pork & salt, beef & coffee. But one thing, we get all we want, & all of our full rations. And, besides all this, our commissioned officers board themselves & do not eat of our rations.
The men all like Capt. Hall & the 1st Lieut. but my Albert they just worship. He is very kind & social to all of them & I knew he would be, for all that some folks said. Just because his father sang hymns to Coila Church.
Jimmy Sherman is well. He has his hair cut short & has some white whiskers on his chin. I tent with him, Tom Andrew Weir, Bob Skellie, John Ketchum (Peter’s boy) & Jesse Wood, 6 of us.
We have just one shirt with us. Our knapsacks have not reached us yet. We have to wear our coats without shirts while we wash them. I never got any more shirts than I had.
I got half a dollar’s worth of postage stamps of Skellie. I have about 3 dollars left. The rest of the money I had to spend for one thing and another when I first came & on the route we had to board ourselves or go without. I have got all I need & what I have got will last till pay day which will be next month some time. They are making out the muster rolls now. I did not send any money to Taggart because I hadn’t time at first & afterwards I did not have the money.
But I most close & go on drill. Poor Aunt Sarah. I wish she could be as comfortable as I am. She, of course, has a large share of my letters. Write very soon & give my love to every one.

From, Will

I spoke to Captain Hall about that & he said he always like my style well. Just tell them folks to try & hunt up something else to talk about.