1861 December 24

Dear Father as i was out on Picket I receivd yours & Mothers of the 17th &
as I have been in about Fourh hours from Picket, I thought I would sit down
& tell you that I had received A Letter from George & Frank Crawford
I have just answered it but Frank Crawfords I shall not answer till sun
day I like Pickiting for one thing & that is this we have A House to stop
in but I do not like the Idea of standing guard over the Rebels property
which is done & if the men even take the least thing they are sent in under
arrest if they mean to carry out the thing I do not see why they do not
carry it out by taking the things belonging to the Rebels not keep guard
over them & their Property there is one regular secessionist by the name of
Boyant he lives out where we stand Guard & they even give him A pass
to go where he wants to go Jo Brady has arrived here with eighty new recruits
for this regiment & eight of them is in this Company & among them is
the world renowned John Shaw he is in this Company & the same one
that lives in Pleasant Street Place I suppose you have heard of this
renown Shaw he has A wig something like his Brother Andrew only
in its A little grain darker the said Shaw says he does not want to go
home not till the Regiment goes, when I get Paid off and you receive
that allotment money I want you to give Mother five dollars of it which
I promised her & I want her to have it & then you may have the rest
of it & do what you want to with it I am well, From your Son
Joseph A. Leavitt

MSS 66