Sunday, March 11, 2012

1862 March 12 Fairfax, Va.

Fairfax Court House Virginia March 12th 1862
Dear Father I thought I would sit down to write you A few lines
to let you know that the Division that I am in arrived in Fairfax
on Monday & that the Union Forces are in Possession of Fairfax
Centerville & Manasses the Rebels having left their strong hold
yesterday there was seven Rebel soldiers that came in to the New
Jersey Regiment & gave themselves up, I am well after my March
& expect that we shall get orders to march on to Centreville with
these few lines to let you know where we are I will close this letter
by saying good day & want you to answer it as soon as you get it
and direct your letters to Washington the same as you have all
along From your Son Joseph Leavitt

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

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