Va Chantilly Apr 19th 1863

Dear Father
I now seat my self to write
a few lines to you to let you
no that I am well and tough
I have bin as well since I
got well of the mumps as
I have bin since I have bin in
the show we haint moved yet
but we are under marching
orders we expected to be orderd
off before this time but no
knowing how long we shall
haft to say here we may stay some
time and we may not we haft to
do a good deal of guard duty here
we do picket duty up towrd
bullrun it comes my turn once
in 5 days the last time I was
on picket thare was one shot
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he belonged to the cavelry they
was in camp clost by us
he was shot by a geurillia
the old camp [1] cralled up by the
side of some woods and shot
him of[f] his horse he want a great
way from me and the next
morning they stared to see
if they could find the old
rebel and they found one man
that they suposed to be him
and they found a gun that had
bin fired that night so they
took the old gent and marched
him into Washington to have
his trial I guess he was the
man and I guess he will have
to suffer for it. they have
took a good many prisnors
all round here the whole cit [2]
of them haint nothing but
rebels the rigt kill a good
many cattle the fields are all
coverd over with old cattle
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heads whare they soldiers have
killed them it is very warm
here now and the grass is quite
green thare is some very pretty
farmes down towrd bulrun
you would like to plow here
thare haint any rocks and the
soil is as red a blod this is
a great place for snakes and
insects and other things thare is
the fresh watter lobster here
I expt that it will be warm
here next month I hurd that you
had hired Henry Coburn by the
month and if you have you had better
keep him till July for I think it
a dout if I am at home much
before that time but I may
be by the midle of June cant tell
you better look out and get
your help spoke for in season
for I supose that help is high
I wish that you had about 50
acers of this land in Otisfield
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and if you did not think that
it is the best ground to work
that you ever see I will lose
my guess I dont no of much to
write about the war thare haint
much stur just now but a
few days ago we thought we
was a goin to see hard nocks
and we have seen some that
want very easy but I guess I
can go it without I get harder
fair than I have got our
chaplen has come back to the
rigt and we have meetings a
gain and we have had one to
day in the woods and it seemed
almost like camp meeting I have
no lost my hope in Christ
yet I hope O I haint hurd from Curtis
for 2 weeks I dont now how he
is a geting a long but I hope
he will come home I must draw
to a close O how many acers of
that land is on the meddow
next sumer write soon
Elisha Turner