1861 November 18 Camp Franklin Near St Johns Seminary Near Alexandria Va

Dear Father I have just received your letter of the 14th & one from Mother & John.Mothers dated the 11th and Johns the 10th. I have just been through A solem duty escorting down to the Boat the body of one of the Members of my Company who died of Dyptheria he died night before last he was doing duty a week ago & was well as ever he was one of the Flag Bearers & was one of the finest Members of the Company this is the first case that has occured in the Company Since we Left Portland. last Thursday we were reviewed by General McClellan & wednesday we are agon to be again, you said in your letter that you would like to know how we could see how to form A line at seven O Clock if it is dark at Home at that time it is not here it is as Light as can be & there is one thing else you wanted to know & that is why I did not send more of my money home to you I need all the money that I Kept back & am glad that I did not send more because it is cold out here & I shall need it but I shall not spend it foolishly I have seen that advertisement about the Army stoves & I am gone to have one to put in my tent tell John I shall write as soon as I can I do not have so much time to write as I did when I was off duty Give my love to Mother & tell her that I shall write to her next & tell her that I have not forgotten her yet give my Love to Aunt Remick & tell her if she will write to tell me how to direct one to Charley Remick that I will write to him. From your affectionate Son Joseph Leavitt I shall continue sending ten dollars every Pay day if I do not any more

Letters from Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine and his brother George of the 5th New York 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