1861 Oct[ober] 16th Camp Federal Hill Baltimore

My Dear Father, thinking A few lines from me would not be unwelcome I take my pen in hand to inform you how I am getting along in the first place my health is verry good I have not been sick since I joined the Regiment, it is something wonderful that there is so little sickness in the Regiment we have not lost one man by sickness, we are getting along fast with our Fort & when it is finished it will be A very strong one we have six eight inch Colmbiades mounted & a large number thirty two pounders, the walls are all up & we are now finishing the interior--Company F's quarters have again been moved we have A splendid situation from my tent we have a full view of the whole City it is astonishing to see what A tremendous amount of work we have done in the short time we have been at work. you can tell nothing about it untill you go on the outside & walk around it, then you can see where the work is there has been a change in the Officers in the Regiment Col Duryee having been promoted Lieut Col Warren has been appointed Col he is A first rate Officer A hard working one in the bargain the 10th Maine are encampted about A mile from us I was over to the Camp last Friday I met A great many of my acquaintances & I was glad to see them they are encamped at Pattersons Park the ground formerly occupied by the seventh the seventh are at work on thier fort & will have the walls up in A short time I took dinner at Mr Jacksons last week & I enjoyed myselfe first rate Mr Charles Jackson also called to see me I was in his store last week & met Mr Loud[?] it was from him that I learned that the tenth was in Baltimore we can find out noting of what is going on arround us Fifty Regiments might come & encamp here we would know nothing about it unless we happened to see one of the men that belonged to the Regiment, the papers publish nothing we can hear the music of bands every day we can only guess what is going on I have received several letters from Joseph he says nothing about his health. I should think by his letter that he was getting along first rate I recd your three last letters. I assure you that I am always glad to receive letters from you I dont care how long your letters are in your last letter I think you are rather hard on the Officers in the Army some men I know are not what they should be but there are A great many good Officers in it, it is the same as it is with A Regiment halfe A dozen men sometimes will spoil the reputation of A whole Regiment this Regiment has a great name & if I should be so fortunate as to get A promotion in this Regiment, if not I shall always look back with pride to the time when I belonged to the fifth Regiment New York volunteers (better known as Duryees Zouaves) I recd Mothers letter yesterday & shall answer it soon From your Son
George

Letters from George Leavitt and his brother Joseph 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