Will Fisher to his mother
In camp at Elk River, Tennessee
February 15, 1864

My Dear Mother,

It is now some few days since I have written you, and as I am on duty tomorrow and, as I will not be able to write again until I come off duty, I thought I would not wait so long as that.
It has been very mild and a steady rain yesterday and today. It is quite as warm as usual in the first part of May at home.
I believe I have not told you for some time who my tent mates are now. Well they are Ira King who has always tented with me ever since I came out, Leroy W. Eldridge, son of Taylor Eldridge, the one who stabbed Jim Skinner, John H. Cobb from Easton, and Hanson Gifford, son of Merrit Gifford, five of us. They are all pretty good fellows, especially King. I have found him to be a real friend. He is a very generous, warm hearted fellow, but makes no pretensions to be religious, but is a very moral sort of boy. Lem is the only man in the company who makes a profession of religion. There are however quite a number of moral men. Inman Thomas is a professor, but he is not with us now. I believe he is at home. There are a good many backsliders in the regt. but say what they may, I think a young man is surrounded by a far more dangerous and unwholesome atmosphere at home than he is in the army, although he has many good influences at home.
I was talking with James Bassett today and he told me that the Widow Woods felt very hard at the usage her son received during his sickness last winter at Stafford C.H. Says she has said that she would rather have had him died in the Rebel service than under the circumstances that he did. She would not allow him to be buried in the soldiers’ lot at the cemetery. I guess she is a pretty high tempered woman. She thanked me several times for my care of him and says that I was the only one who cared for him. It is about true too. The Capt. did not pay so much attention to him as he ought, but he did not think him so low as he really was. Mrs. Wood entertains very hard feelings against Capt. Hall. I think Capt. has got a good many enemies at home since he came out, but you know I have hardly a word against him. I have felt rather hard about him at times, but still, I like him pretty well after all. He is very afraid of me, for he knows I can use the pen and write to papers. I have written several letters to some of our prominent men in C___ in answer to questions which they have wrote to me, and I always spoke as well of him as I could.
How does Aunt Sarah do? I hope she is comfortable and wish she could soon be restored to health again. I suppose she can’t go to church at all now. Do you get to church yourself? I think you will rewarded some day for your untiring efforts in caring for her.
Do you know the address of Peter Eyeclesheimer? In your letter you said the Taggarts were boarding . I diverted to 806 Race St., his old residence. How is Aunt Rebeckah? Tell Jim to write. I got your letters with five stamps, also all the papers.
L. joins in sending lots of love to all.

From your boy,
Will.