1861 August 16 Camp Federal Hill Baltimore

My Dear Father

Your letter of the 12th came to hand this morning I was glad that you
received my letter. in regard to postage, we have had to pay it untill within three
days that is the reason I wrote for some now all letters are sent free, in your
letter you say that Camp life in your estimation is better than being in business at the present time, now as for myselfe I like Camp life although there are A great many unpleasant things connected with it,if it was not for my Wife & child that I leave at home I should be contented enough there are a great many things to make Camp life enjoyable among the unpleasant things are rainy days. we have to get up at 1/2 past four in the morning breakfast at five oompany drill at one halfe past five company drill at nine & then we have nothing to do untill six in the afternoon when we have battalion drill & street firing & dress parade at seven still roll call at eight taps at nine when all lights are put out & all retire. you will excuse me if this letter is short for I do not know what to write about as the Camp is A poor place for news we know nothing of movements of Troops, we never know when we shall be ordered to March untill we are ordered & then we know not where we are going untill we are all ready to start. I think we shall stop in baltimore untill the latter part of Sept we may be ordered off tomorrow we cannot tell all we have to do is to be ready whenever ordered Wednesday the old members were paid off from the ninth of May to the first of July the new recruits will not be paid off untill Oct or Nov it is now three days since they were paid off & some of the men have not got A cent left that is the way it works, of course among so many there will be some black ones & they give A great deal of trouble but as a general thing the Regiment behave remarkably well at any rate they have A good name in Balt9imore it looks strange to me not to hear A cheer when we are marching through the streets as we do every afternoon. yesterday there was more cheering than at any other time the People seem to be affraid to speak what they wish. we have A great many visitors int he Camp every day & Sunday it is crowded. I have had an invitation out to dinner, as yet I have not been out of Camp except on parade, the Union People are verry attentive to our wants & do every thing for us. you would be surprised to see the number of men out of employ the Camp is full of them every day pedling every description of goods one thing I must say of Baltimore is the best place to buy things cheap that I was ever in Fruit & everything else is as Cheap as dirt. I thought that New York was A cheap place but Baltimore beats it I recd ten cents in the letter also twenty five in your first letter for which I thank you verry much. I know that if you had you would give you dont know what A few cents will do here sometimes we do not get enough to eat we know we do not get what is allowed
us but we cannot help it & we do the best we can some one makes money out of us that is certain remember me to all from your Son
George

Letters from Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine and his brother George Leavitt of the 5th New York were copied into a ledger by their father John Leavitt in October 1865: "because they are of value to me and I was fearful that they might get mislaid." Both boys were mortally wounded in the war, George at Second Bull Run, August 30, 1862, and Joseph at Spotsylvania, May 18, 1864.

MSS 66