1861 November 18 Camp Franklin Near St Johns Seminary Alexandria Va

Dear Father I received your kind & welcome letter dated the 12th
you need not be affraid of[sic] me because we can get all the wood we want
to burn & move to, I get all the war news before the Advertiser gets to me but
I like to see the Advertiser because there is some kind of short Peaces that
I like to read so you may send them along I want you to write & tell me if
you understand what I wrote in my last letter about my signing the allo
tment roll if so I want you to tell me as for your feelings & veiws about intox
icating drinks I new all about before I left Portland you said that they
made pies out of the condemned Government horses I thought about the
same & there has been a great many times that I set out to write and have
you to ask Andrew if he did not have some old horses to sell to make some
of the Pies with there is such A great demand maid for them, since Col
Jackson has taken command of this Regiment there has been no complaint
of any kind & for the reason that there has been no cause to, you wanted
to know if I had to pay Postage on your Letters now, I do not know how
many that I had to pay for because I never kept account of them I shall stick
by the Fifth of Maine as long as it remains a regiment do you think that
I would exchange Places with A Regiment that had not seen action while
mine has No indeed I would not do any such Thing Captain started for
home last week & McFearson the day that Mister Staples came over
here to see me, & Gilman that worked[?] for Mister Green is to go tomor
row he is trouble about the head where A Horse kicked him about three
years ago. I wish you would tell me how to direct A letter to Charley
Green because I want to write to Him. I am well & hope this will find
you all enjoying the same health From your son Joseph Leavitt

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