Civil War Virginia Campaigns by D.O. Kelley.
March 23, 1863
Kelley has been in the Army for over a year and is stationed in Winchester, West Virginia with Company F 12th Cavalry Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers. Like his nephews and brother-in-law, Kelley^is enamored of horses and writes often of them. In this letter, he writes not only of horses but of the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley lamenting its destruction. He also writes of the hardships and sicknesses of winter in camp. "We are kept very busy now drilling + preparing for the Summer campaign. I suspect that we will have some work to do sutch as fighting the grey backs" and "I think that we will move on up the valley towards Staunton as I believe that that is Floyds head quarters I believe the intention of the leading men of our army here is to drive the rebbles from virginia."