1861 Oct[ober 18] Camp of the Fifth Maine Regiment Va

Dear Father I have just Received a Letter from you dated Oct 14th William Knows that James Hillar that I spoke about in my Last Letter to you I hear that he went to church the First Sunday that He got Home in his Officers suit & he told them that he was appointed Lieutenant in this Company he was nothing but A pot stewer for one of the Officirs & is now try8ing to pass himselfe off as A Lieutenant and when he was nothing But a pot stewer for Samuel L. Carlton of Portland before he enlisted at Portland He Maide Blieve sick & hobling round the Camp Ground with an old cane As I am setting down to write to you I receive a Paper of the twelveth In one of your Letters to me you wanted me to write to you & give you the name of the Officers in the regiment I will commence with Company A, the Gorham Company is commanded by Capt. Willet and First Lieutenant Speed A Company B from Biddiford which is commanded by Captain Stevens & first Lieutenant Philbrook & the Saco Company C, is commanded by Capt Barrows & first Lieut Stevens & Company D of Brunswick is commanded by Capt Small & Lieut Clarke & Company E is commanded by Capt Fagget & First Lieut Lemont & second Lieut Robinson & Company F is commanded by First Lieut Walker he use to be a Police Officer in Portland & second Lieut Atwood & Company G is commanded by Capt. Thomas J. Sawyer and acting first Lieut Dearing & second Lieut McFearson & Company H commanded by Capt George Brown & Company I commanded by Capt Edwards belonging to Bethel & Mechanic falls Company K Capt Spiller g & to Samuel give my Love to all the Family & to Samuel Safford I wish you would not write so much foolish stuff From you Son Joseph Leavitt

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 in the war, George at Second Bull Run, August 30, 1862, and Joseph at Spotsylvania, May 18, 1864

MSS 66