1861 October 16 Camp of the Fifth Maine Regiment Near Alexandria Va

Dear Father Your kind & welcome Letter of the 21st came to hand And it Maide me feel good when I came to that part of the Letter in Which you said Lieut Martin called at the House & let you know that I was in the Fight and gave me such a good name for doing my duty I do not want to put any ting in my Letters about Bragging but there is one thing & that is when the time come for action again you will not find me to flinch to act with the rest of my Fellow Soldiers without I am sick so that I cannot act with them when Lieutenant Martin Left this Regiment the Boys were sorry to part with him because he had been A good Officer with them I suppose you heard about the Boys put in and bought two watches and Maide a Present to Him & Captain Sawyer that was because they liked them as Officers but they did not like Capt Thomas on account of his tryng to push them in to every old thing that came along this Company is the second company to the right of the regiment & was the Flag company therefore they call the company at the right as the Post of honor Company when McFearson writes Home to his Wife about my being sick, I do not want you to Mind anything about it when I am sick so that I think I cannot stand it I will apply for my discharge & not before I want to stay now & see this truble out yesterday I receved A Letter from Ellen and I do not know how to direct one to her he wrote to me & said that Edward did not care enough about her to come to see her when she was at Home, I do not want you to write to her and tell her that I wrote to you about it, It is getting dark now & must close my Letter by telling you that Pay day is coming off soon & you must look out Because they are making out the Payrolls & you can have A Little money to take care of for me From you affectionate Son Joseph Leavitt

P.S. I received A letter from you day before yesterday but I cannot find it to tell you the date of it & when you write to me again I want you to write & tell me how to direct one to Ellen it has cost me A great deal for Postage stamps most every letter that I receive from you I have to pay three cents what is due on them But I want you to keep on writing every day or every two days The next letter I write to you I will try & tell you all about the march to Bulls Run & Back.

Letters from Joseph Leavitt and his brother George 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 int he war, George at Second Bull Run, August 30, 1862, and Joseph at Spotsylvania,
May 18, 1864

MSS 66