Will Fisher to his mother
Camp near Sandy Hook, Maryland
Saturday, 5 o’clock AM, October 25, 1862

Dear Mother,

I will take this early opportunity of dropping a line to you before we start. We had orders come last night at 11 o’clock to get 48 hours rations cooked by daylight & to march by 8 o’clock. It is about 5 now & Anderson Hover has been cooking all night & got the meat all ready. We have got the rations & our knapsacks all packed.
I forgot to tell you that the knapsacks had come. They came that night that I mailed your letter. They were in much better shape than was expected. Some of the boys lost some little things. I lost my satchel, which I left strapped on to my knapsack, but my things were all put into my knapsack so I lost nothing, only that little bundle of rags.
The report is that we are going to Winchester which is about 30 miles. If we do, we will have a good long march & expect to see some fighting if there is any done. Our whole brigade is going, in fact, the whole army, & there is some 200,000 around here. Remember we are in Gen. Kane’s Brig. & William’s Division & Bank’s Corps which I think is commanded by Gen. Slocum.
But I must close. Tell Jimmie’s mother the news & write soon. Don’t wait but direct as before to Wash., D.C. Love to Aunt S. & all the rest. I will write to Jim S. soon.

From your boy,
W. G. Fisher

I had a letter from John last night. He had been to Philadelphia.