1861 December 22 Camp Federal Hill Baltimore

My dear Father your letter of the 14th inst is receivd your
letters are always welcome your letters are always welcomed[sic], you
need not be afraid to long letters I am always glad when the
mail brings A letter from you, you wish to know if they had
paid all that is due, no but we shall get it by and buy it will
be allowed us when we settle for our clothing which is I believe
once A year then each man in the regiment is allowed so
much. A year for clothing & rations & at the end of the year there
is A settlement when everything that is due is paid over or credited
to the next years account in regard to the complaint you mention
from the Boston correspondents as far as our Regt is concerned we
have plenty of clothing and we are allowed as much wood to burn
as we wish to be sure our tents are not so warm as in the Summer
but we manage to get along verry well we will not have to stop in
tents more than one week longer as our Winter Quarters are nearly
finished the boards in our tents of course are not so soft as in the
Summer but in fact as the cold wether comes on the boards grow
hard & turn them as often as we will they will not grow soft there
are A great many that will grumble no mater how well of they are
Company F did not try to get clear of going on the Expedition but
they on the contrary were affraid they would be left out you will
please excuse the shortness of this letter as this is the sixth letter
that I have written to day since dinner & the light will have to be
put out in A few moments the next time I will try to make up for
the shortness of this one remember me to all from you Son Geo W. Leavitt

[note from John Leavitt made as he was copying the above letter]

the following was enclosed in the above but dont seem to belong to
it but I will record it as I find it, this day August 22d 1865 John Leavitt

One is played out we have been contenting ourselves that the rebels had
no arms, no clothing, no food but such things I have never beleivd
for A moment I believe they have A plenty of everything & as for starving
them out it is foolish to think of, as I said before it has A bad influence
in the Army their letting known traitors to at large remember me
to all I intended to have written to Edward this evening but as my
candle has nearly burnt out I shall not have time but will write
soon hopeing that I soon shall have the pleasure of meeting you
all again I am your Son

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.

MSS 66