1861 December 9 Camp Federal Hill Baltimore

Dear Father--I received your letter of the 29th Nov the day the Regiment arrived in Baltimore the reason I have not written before is this I did not know how to send A letter untill it was too late for me to write moveing from one place to another every day & in A part of the country where there is no Mail. I was not sure A that A letter would reach Home if I wrote one so I concluded to write untill I arrived in Baltimore & then write A good long one we left Baltimore Sunday Nov 12th at 4 o clock P.M. on board the Steamer Transport Pocahantas bound we knew not where only we had hearn[sic] that we were A going to the eastern shore of Maryland Companies A, B, C, E, F, & I composed the Battalion under the command of Co Warren & Lieut Col Hiram Duryea as we passed by the Fort the companies that were to remain behind were drawn up in line on the Battlements & gave us A parting salute & we were cheered at every point & at fort McHenry the troops that were stationed there also gave parting cheers soon after passing Fort McHenry the Sun went down & as it began to grow dark I went below to pick out A place to sleep, I slept soundly all night & in the morning awoke in ti e to witness the most beautiful sunrise I ever saw in my life
this is Wednesday [November] 13th we are sailing all day on the Chesapeake
untill about four Oclock when the boar rounded on A sand bar opposite
Cherry stone inlet the steam Transport star having on board the twenty first
Indiana came to our assistance but was not able to get us off, within
A short distance were three Gunboats but they could not help us as the
water was not deep enough for them to come near us, as the Star could
not help us an it was decided to let her proceed to new Town about
Fifty miles distant & land the 21st Indiana, & return to take us off. we
were not pleased at all at the Ida of pasing another night on board of
the Pocahontas, I retired early & about twelve OClock at night was awakened
by tramping I woke & found that Capt McGowan of the Gunboat Lyon
with part of her Crew were at work getting the Steamer off the bar in A
short time we were again in deep water but as the Pocahontas was to
large to sail the Pocumver which is the most crooked river I ever saw in my
life about ten Oclock Thursday morning 14th the Steam Boat Balloon came up
having on board the 6th Michigan shortly the star hove in sight & we got
ready to go on board in A short time we were all on board & heading
for the Pocunoke river as soon as we reached the mouth of the river
the Ballpon took the lead at many points the river is verry narrow
some places we could shake hands with any one on shore sometimes the
Balloon would be sailing through woods & some time through corn
Fields, some times it looked as if the Boat was comeing back we arrived at
New Town about three OClock & disembarked we had not been on shore
fifteen minutes when Company F was ordered on board again what is the
matter we asked whats up now nothing is the mater only we were ordered
to go back to the Pocahontas & bring off the Provisions, after Gen Lockwood
had given his word to our Capt tht he would not make A movement
against the rebels untill we returned we went on board cheerfully we
got back to the Pocahontas about nine O,clock it rained & blew veryy
hard but in about one hour & A halfe we had the Star full as she could
carry of [provisions, but as it was verry stormy we remained at anchor
until Friday Morning 15th when we again started for New Town we
arruved at New Town at twelve oClock & after landing our Company stoves
& Camp equipage on shore we started for the Camp when[sic] we pitched our tents & then began to look arround us to see what kind of Place New
Town was New Town belongs to Worcester County Maryland the other
two counties on the Penisular are Accomac & North Hampton which
belong to Eastern Virginia Accomac County is where Gov Wise lived New
Town is A verry old Town I should say by the looks of the Buildings from
what I saw of it I should think the People had been asleep the last fifty
years & our coming among them had awakened them from their sleep
we remained in New Town Saturday 15th about ten Oclock Saturday night
I was awakened by one of my Tent Mates who had been out on Picket I asked
him what brought him back, he said the Pickets had been driven in but as
he did not look as if he had been driven in I doubted him then he told me
that he Rebels had lain down their arms & that we had orders to March
in the morning Sunday 17th Reville at five oClock after breakfast tents were
struck knapsacks packed rations given out & we were soon ready for marching
at seven oClock everything being ready waggons loaded & the Regiment
drawn up in line & the order given to count in A few moments after we took
up our line of March in the Following order The Fifth new York Nim's Battery
six rifle Cannon of Boston the fourth Wisconsin twenty five Indianna & sixth
Michigan, Purnells Legion seventeenth Mass & second Delaware remained behind
as A reserve the Brigade was under the command of Brig Gen Lockwood of Del
aware after marching about six miles we had A short rest ten miles from New
Town we came upon A Battery built directly acrost the road it was poorly built
& would not have stood five minutes as there was no one in it we did not
have much trouble taking it as sundown we reached Oak Hall and
encamped for the night having marched this day twelve miles thus far we
have not seen anything of the Rebels we remained at Oak Hall Untill
Wednesday the 20th, while we were at oak Hall A Private in the sixth
Michigan was shot dead by the accidental discharge of his musket
this Regiment has been unfortunate in this particular one man
having two fingers shott off on the march from new Town to Oak
Hall at Oak Hall the Brigade were divided into three divisions
each taking different routs for Eastville where we were all to meet
the Division which we are in is now is composed of the 21st of Indianna
5th New York and two pieces of Nimms battery we arrived at left Oak Hall
at one Oclock & arrived Mapersville at one halfe past five & camped
for the night just before reaching Mapsville we came on another
battery intended for fifteen guns this like the firs was built
directly acrost the road this was A Little larger than the first
but no better built left Mapperville early this morning 21st for
Drummondtown I shall recollect his days march it was A verry
hard one we marched 22 miles this day it was nearly double quick
all the way. I thought we should never reach Drummontown we
could get no information as to the distance we would ask everyone
we met on the road how far it was to Drummonstown some would
say 14 miles some 10 miles & we were passing A House on the Road
we enquired of A Girl that was standing at the gate how far it was
the answer was right smart ways I recon we did not ask again
we thought this was sufficient we encamped five miles beyond Drummons
town our feet were so sore that we could hardly stand we encamped
in the woods where there was plenty of running water we all bathed our feet
& retired early I slept soundly & awoke the next morning verry much
refreshed & ready for another days march last night the cavelry under
Capt Richardson & Nims battery took seven large cannon of the
best description they found them near Pocgoteugu[sic] on the shore where
they had been carrid for the purpose of getting them acrost into Virginia
22nd marched 18 miles this day & encamped again in the woods here again
we had plenty of water & the first thing after we halted we bathed our
feet in clear cold water we did not leave this encampment untill
Sunday 24th while we were in this place we found A lot rifles muskets, knapsacks
& A large Rebel flag the muskets & rifles were verry old some of them mounted
in 1808 we got the information from the slaves wherever we encamped
they would flock in large numbers they all have the Idea that we had
come to free them & are willing to do anything we wished of them we
got A good deal of information from them als to the number of the rebels
& what had become of them according to their account we were
comeing among them to kill & burn all the Houses in the County
one story is to good to be lost we got talking with inteligent looking
Darkey he says that his master & the folks were talking about victory of
the Rebels & that hey had killed thousands of our troops we asked if the
Darkeys believed it he said yes while they were in the Parlour but
when we got in the kitchen we say no such thing, we encamped one
mile from the Village of easterville Sunday 24th & remained untill
Monday Dec 2 while here we are visited by A large number of the inh
abitants of the Peninsular not A Rebel could be found wehad to forage
while in this place as our provisions gave out we are without coffee this
day we can do without many things but when the coffee gives out we
are done for we had plenty of Oyesters all we had to do was to go down
to the shore & we could pick up as many as we wanted while here we
lived mostly on Oysters, Chickens, Ducks & sweet potatoes we left east
ville Monday Dec 2d & marched to Pocgotague & encamped for the
night next morning 3rd started for the Cavelry two miles distant
where we found the steam boat star ready for us the Regiment
now Marched on board but as it was blowing verry hard the Capt
of the Boat dare not venture out in the Bay untill the wind went
down whcih was unot untill day light next morning 4 we left
Povgeteage landing at daylight arrived at Fort McHenry at ten
Oclock at night & layed over untill the next morning arrived n
Baltimore Thursday morning dec 5th having been gone three weeks
we accomplished what we were sent for without firing A gun the
Company of Cavelry Capt Richardson have done all the work
about Brig Gen Lockwood the least said the better if he is not A
secessionist he is verry much affraid of hurting the feelings of
Rebels if his wishes had been carried out we should have given back
the arms that we had taken & furnished them with powder &
ball at least that is the opinion of the whole Brigade it is time
such things were put A stop to no one can tell what A bad influ
ence some of the recent proceedings has in A Regiment unless he
Belongs of them Regiments have all left comfortable Homes
& many left Families Fortune everything else to prove their love
to the Country the men think that the Government is to much affraid
of hurting the feelings of the Rebels one t hing is worth noticing, in this
Regiment not A death has occured from sickness remarkably healthy
I have A plenty of clothing today we receive two months pay & I have
sent the money home, you will excuse the looks of this leter as I have
written it in haste I shall write you again in three or four days and
will try to do better hopeing this will find you in good health I
remain your Son tell Mother I will write her soon give my love to all George

Letters from George Leavitt and his brother Joseph Leavitt 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.