Home, Well I once more seat myself to write

Camp 106th Regt.
Maryland Higthes [Heights] M.d.
June 21st/63

Home,
Well I once more seat myself to write a few lines to you to let you know that I am yet alive and well.  I wrote you a letter a few days ago and I was in such a hurry I did not half write it, and you may never have got it, so I will give you a little account of the proceedings since a week ago yesterday.   On that day I had just started out to go and get some washing done as I heard the bugle sound the officer call and I stopped to see what was the matter and we got ordered to pull up stakes and travail again.  We left our old camp at North Mountain at 5 P.M. and marched to Martinsburg an[d] to our old camp ground there and it commenced raining and it rained for about two hours.   We lay on the ground there all night.  Everything was in an uproar[.]   All the union people were picking their duds and (skedadling) to Maryland.  Everything  was quiet with us until about 9 o’clock in the morning when we were called into line as quick as possible (the boys were feeling as well as ever they did,)  We marched out on the Winchester [road] and about two miles when we commenced skirmishing with the enemy and we keep that up all day[.]
About 5, oclock the boys began to get discouraged thinking they would not have a chance to fight in company but about a half an hour before sunset they changed their minds for they opened upon us with three batteries and the shot and shell began to fall among us like hail.   And then you might as well think some of the boys began to think about as much of home as was at the time they opened fire upon us[.]  They also charged on the town with their cavalry and they gave one of the d-est yells you ever heard come from human beings.  Perhaps you would like to know where I was all this time.   Well I was with the regiment and when they commenced shelling us the left wing was out supporting 4 pieces of malbies [Maulsby’s] battery (which is all captured exeep [except] one piece which we brought off with us on our retreat) and when the rebs charged on the town they limbered up to shift theys position so to fire up on the town[.]  At that time we were called into line of battle for the purpose of changing our position so as to support the cannon.  And when we began to change then was the time that they throwed everything at us that would kill men[.]  They threw railroad iron at us as well as solid shot, and a lieutenant of the 126th his Regt said they put in a smal[l] black smith shop (such as we use in the army).  Sledgehammer and anvil and all the tools, and threw [them] at him[.]   He said he could put up with railroad iron and shells well enough but the blacksmith shop was more than he could stand.  Excuse me till another time[.] this from D.W.S.