1861 October 13 Camp Lyon

Dear Father--As I had A spare opportunity, I thought I would sit down & write you A few Lines as you have written to Lieutenant McFearson two Private Letters about my Squandering my Money I rather have you write to me about it than had you write to him about it because I think I am able to take care of it myselfe & in one of the others you wrote something about my coming Home I saw the Letter & you said that you did not want me to Come if I was able to stand it, in one of My Letters to you I wrote to you that I did not want to come as long as I was able to stand I am going in the Officers Tent to cook for them Just as soon as whe Move to the Place where they talk to move then they are to put down the new tents then the Captain & Lieutenants are going to have seperate ones I am going to go in the Lieutenants Tent to cook there was seven contrabands Brought in from Picket you talk about the Slaves having no learning they have as much Learning as some White People the Name of the Fort that whe have been Building has been changed From Slocum to Lyon in honor of General Lyon All of the New york regiments in this Brigade Have been all Fill up i dont see why they do not try & fill ours up This Brigade has got to move Because they are in wrong Division the New York twenty seventh & the sixteen regiments Moved today & the second & third Michigan has taken their Places & to Morrow whe will have to I think As I set down to write to you I received A Letter from you to William dated the 8 And you said in your Letter that you was gone to send me the Paper that you read that piece in I have not yet got it yet it may come in the Mornings Mail of to Morrow they are going to make out the Pay Roll the twenty eighth of this month so that they can have it ready for the first of next Month and I give you my word for it that I will send the twenty dollars to you to take care of it or you may use it as you Please if I only get it, if I ever return to Portland But if you have not paid Mister Waterhouse for that suit of Clothes you may Pay him out of it you said that Lieutenant McFearson wrote to his Wife that I was not able to du [sic] duty & you wanted me to write to you & tell you what ailed me there is nothing that ails me But I cannot carry that Knapsack round it Cramps me all up the day I arrived in Boston & just got started to go to the cars to go to New York the cramp caught me in Both of my Legs so that I had to get out of the ranks & Pull my legs along the way Mr Chadwick used to do when he had the gout & ever since that whenever I put on the Knapsack on my back that would come on me and I went to the Doctor & told him of it he told me that I was not fit to March But I could do Light Duty such as cooking for the Lieutenants & if whe do Move to Morrow I shall work in the Lieutenants tent so you need to be trouble about my being sick if I could get my discharge I dont think I would take it for one reason I want I want[sic] to see the war ended now that I am out hear at the first of it I did want to Come Home I heard so much about this three Months Business you could hear nothing but that from Morning till night yesterday I received A Blue uniform & some stockings & I am going to receive two pair of draws & two pair of shirts and another Blue Frock Coat with A blue Overcoat from the Government the Men of this Regiment think that the Appointment of Neal Dow as Colonel of the thirteenth Regiment as A good one I want you to give my Love to all of the Folks & tell Samuel Safford that I should like to see him and the Boys But I dont see how I am gone to not till the war is settle tell him if they say Soldier to me if ever come Home they will Have to Look out & tell him I think that I would not run A great ways to see on And tell him the Soldier Business is not what is Crack up to be & tell John I dont Know what he means by the cow bell story if all the troops this side of the Potomac were streched out 10 feet apart it would reach from Boston to New Haven From your Son Joseph Leavitt

The letters of Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine were copied out in a ledger by his father after his death in 1864.

MSS 66