Will Fisher to his mother
Atlanta, Georgia
October 1, 1864

Dear Mother,

I will not be so long about writing this time as I was before. For I don’t think you like it to go quite so long. There has nothing taken place since my last, worthy of note. I have forgotten the date of my last but think it was about the 26th of Sept. All news is completely at a stand still. I have received a letter part of which was dated Aug. 30th and the remainder the 15th of Sept. from you containing 3 envelopes and four or five stamps for which I am very much obliged.
Gov. Brown, the Governor of Georgia has been in town consulting with Gen. Sherman, no doubt, on some terms of peace on which the state of Ga. can come back into the Union. Gov. Brown & Jeff Davis have been at loggerheads ever since the war commenced & Gov. Brown wants to secede from the Southern Confederacy & bring them back into the Union. I am very hopeful at present. I think there never was so good prospect for peace as now. Of course not till after election, but I candidly think that if Mr. Lincoln is elected there will be no more fighting of any consequence.
McClellan seems to have played so as to suit no one in particular for all he was so anxious to please both parts of his party. He seems to have lost a great many friends like Vallandingham by his being too much war policy in his acceptance while the other party thought it not strong enough.

Tuesday, October 4
I was delayed a day or two by preparations to move. Our div. was ordered to take the whole corps wagon train & proceed to Decatur, out east of here, & graze the mules two or three weeks & forage the country awhile. So yesterday morning we packed up & struck tents & loaded our knapsacks into the wagons & had got out onto the road when an order from Gen. Slocum brought things to a standstill and so we just laid around till most night when we were ordered to unload our baggage and pitch tents again.
In the meantime, the 4th Corps got hurried orders to march at once & started off towards the rear. Then strange rumors began to play around, & I began to “smell a mice” myself & then came orders for the 20th Corps pickets to be on alert for they now held the immediate front & then it all came to light as follows: Hood having been granted 10 days armistice has taken advantage of it and transferred his entire army to our rear, the most treacherous trick I ever heard of. When discovered he was coming up by way of Rome, Ga. pushing for Kenesaw Mt. intending to cut our communications & force us to evacuate the place.
But Sherman has taken the rest of the army and gone after them leaving the old 20th Corps solitary and alone to hold this city without any communication. This is our situation & we have not had a train through now in a week & two days. It is evident that Gen. Sherman don’t intend giving up his hold on Atlanta just yet & I’ll bet my wages they will lose more out of it than we. I don’t think they will all come back. Gen. Sherman says that if they can live north he can south.
We have got the city all to ourselves now and are fixing to stand an investment. We are barricading the streets & fortifying the city all sorts. I don’t have the least uneasiness about the situation for if we have rations enough we can stand all the force they can bring against us.
When this will ever get to you I cannot tell, but hope it will not be long. I am very sorry to hear you have such a sore eye. I remember some very sore eyes you used to have, but I hope it is well now.
Young Corbit who John sent a letter to me by, has not got here yet.
Has Uncle Skinner recovered from his fever yet? I had not heard that Lem was sick before, poor fellow. I hope he never will undertake to come back to the regt. for I don’t think he is able.
You ask if we get fresh provisions in Atlanta. No we do not. We are not getting the best living we ever got exactly. They do not give us any salt meat because they are storing it for future use. We have therefore to take all fresh beef & no grease to fry it in. But I manage generally to get a little tallow & pick a little sage & then take my meat & chop it all up fine & season it well with pepper, salt and sage & fry it in grease. We have drawn considerable soft bread which makes very good eating. We are not suffering by any means.
Much love to Aunt Sarah & all the rest with a great share for yourself. Write very soon to your own boy.

Will Fisher