1861 Sept[ember] 8 Camp Vernon Va

Dear Father I received your letter of the second Last Night & you sent one stamp i see in the Bath Sentinal that Governor Washburn is going to call the First Regiment into Camp this week, whe have not been paid off yet whe have been promised it for A week or two there was Greens Artilery Company of 6 Guns Came in to day & Camped right acrost the road from our Camp the Company has gone on Picket again to day whe are still under Marching orders yesterday the Rebels fell back on Fairfax Courthouse the Men have heard of Butlers Victory it has put new Courage into them Since Genl McLellan has been in charge the Soldiers do not hear so much news where they are Agoing too as they did when they was in Genl McDowels Brigade i Like to have you write
Letters to Me but i do not Like to have you write in everyone of them & tell how Poor you are i know that you are not able to Send things to me but i intended to pay you for everything that you send to me there is one thing i never mention to you that is that we have got the tents the first Regiment had & they are not halfe so good as the ones we had in Camp Preble And when you write to me a gain i want you to tell me how to direct A Letter to George & i see by the Portland Argus that the Democratic Nomination for Govonors are Col Jameson of the second Maine Regiment & John W Dana of Fryburgh Col Jameson is A smart man & i think he will be the next Governor of Maine, From Joseph Leavitt send that cake As quick as you can

Joseph is probably referring to General Benjamin Butler's seizure of fortifications on Cape Hatteras on August 27.

The Maine gubernatorial election was won by the Republican candidate Israel Washburn, Jr., 1813-1883.
Charles D. Jameson, 1827-1862, was colonel of the second Maine, and candidate of the "War Democrats" in the state. He was promoted to Brigadier General, wounded at Fair Oaks, and subsequently died from camp [typhoid?] fever.
John W. Dana, 1808-1867, had already served as Governor of Maine and minister to Bolivia.

Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine, letters copied into a book by his father after his death in 1864

MSS 66