Will Fisher to his mother
Bridgeport, Alabama
December 29, 1863

Dear Mother,

Again I am favored an opportunity of answering a letter from you which I received a few days ago. You cannot imagine how glad I am to get a letter from home especially when I have not heard for some time. I have been up most every night since I received the barrel with the paper in it, writing all night to some friends which had been neglected from some time. I have plenty of candles & you know I always did like to sit up nights. I accidentally found some candles a short time ago when I was on guard. The cover of the box had got split off by rough handling & so I secured enough to last some time with what we draw from our rations. I have a lot of wood to burn & then I am free from intrusion in the night which is quite a consideration here in camp, for one soldiers tent is everybody’s & in military life you don’t know what a treat it is to be all alone once in a while.
Within a few days I have written to Albert Shiland, John, Julia Whelden, George & Min Sherman, Jim Skinner, Jimmy Sherman, & Libbie Sherman, four of these I mailed today. But I guess I can write from this till another Christmas before I shall get a letter from John. I think it real ungrateful in him not to write at all. If he would just dispatch one line once a month to acknowledge that he receives what we write, it would be some consolation to write.
Tonight is the first time since we have been in this camp that my bowels have been out of order. One of the boys made some fried cakes today & the grease or something about them turned my stomach for I laid down to take a little nap this afternoon & when I woke up I had a sour stomach and consequently have to run considerable tonight. I have taken five Herricks Sugar Coated Pills & think it will be all right in the morning. I had to borrow the pills & would like to have you send me a box of them in a newspaper.
I am afraid we have got to move again soon to Tullahoma about fifty miles back on the railroad. There is a good many regts. re-enlisting out of our corps & as soon as they do so they have to start for home on furlough & the consequence is the places along the railroad where these troops have been must have some others to occupy them during their absence & our division not being large enough now, the Second Division has been ordered back from the front & will help us. So we will have to go back that way & let them come in here so as to have the divisions together. I do not know as we will have to go but we have orders to be ready. It will not make any difference as I know of but still I hate to leave here. I have become very much attached to this place. And then there is so much stuff that will have to be thrown away such as water pails, boxes, boards, & a great many dishes & cans besides a great many other conveniences & then it is pretty cold weather to pull up & move. Some of the post officers here have petitioned to have us remain, for we are such a good responsible regt. to guard the great amount of stores here. I hope it will be considered.
In your letter Dec. 16th you said that Nancy Arnold was not going to wait for me to come back from the war. Very well if she can’t wait for the soldiers to return let her skip, I say. There will be plenty more of them just as good. You asked if Lem & I were strangers or cousins. Well I hope so. I never saw nothing to the contrary. Why should we be strangers, I should like to know?
Well, I suppose Nate at last has secured another cousin to the family. I wish I could have been there at the festivities on this occasion & one similar last summer when John was married. I did want to come home pretty bad last summer at that time, as it was the only brother I had to be married off, & beats all, I never have attended a wedding yet. I should like to congratulate Kate Coulter on her success in making a sale so quick, but let them all go. What do we care for such like.
How does Aunt Sarah do today? I can imagine I hear some say I & will listen to hear what you tell them. How does Luzie Culver get along & her ma also? Write very soon and accept lots of love from L. & myself, while a happy New Year is the wish of your own boy.

Will G. Fisher