Bunker Hill July
16 1862

Dear Mother
I received your
letter on the 12 and was glad
to hear that you were
all well we expected to
leave for home yesterday
but were all fooled in
place of going towards home
they moved farder away torward
winchester we are about seven
miles from the main body of
the rebels they are camped about
winchester they were camped here
but they soon left when they
heard that we were coming one [1br> our company has captured one
of thier horses when they left
here they were in such
a hurry that they had not
time to cach him to take
along thier was some corn and
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meat found [thier?] was three
of their men and three horses
taken prisnors i supose we
will stay here to day their
is more coming on we have some
were about 30000 men here we
intend to take Winchester if
it can be taken i supose they
will make a stand thier
and try to keep it we may
stay here several days it hard to
tell but we expect leave every
minut we never know ten
before we leave that we have
to go i dont know when
we will get home now we did
expect to get home the last of
this week or the beginning of
next i supose some of us will
never return alive if we get
into batle if the lord sparest
us we will before a great
wile thier is some talk of
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us going around through
washonting home but thier is
so much talk that you cant
believe any of it we are all
well at present give my love
to all the family nothing
more at present But remain
your affecionat son
J H Skelly
you need not write i
will write if we get throgh
safe