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Stephen Franklin, a corporal stationed at Fort McHenry in Baltimore (famous for being the fort shelled by the British in 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner), writes to his brother in Rhode Island about the vagaries of camp life. In part (with his rather challenging grammar and spelling and lack of punctuation): "Dear Brother I am well as usual we are all well and hope these lines will find you the same... we are in a good place now and think we shall stay here a while it is a helthy place here and the is warter on three sides of us we are about two miles from the City of Boltimore I have ben takane twice it is a verry large place and many Rebels there but they are afrade of us... we have union prisners here and Rebels prisoners We have a prisen about is big is old Daveds factry and it is all the time full we have to go purty strate or we will get put in prisen for a few weeks I like this bisness is well is i Can but them that has not listed dont know what they have to go threw... we have to drill four times a day and have to stand gard every other day we have to gard the prisoners we stand two hours out of four for twentyfour hours John is sergeant and i am Corpal ... i am short of money now but i shall have some before menny days I will pay you give my love to all inquaring friends excuse all mestakes i will do better next time yourse truly Stephen A Franklin write soon derect your letters to me Fort Mc Henry Baltmore MD"