1862 March 23 Alexandria, Va.

Camp Franklin Near St. Johns Seminary Alaxandria, Va. march 23/62

Dear Father I received your letter & Mothers which was enclosed in your[s] of
19th the Regiment returned back from Fairfax to the old campground
last Tuesday & are awaiting orders to go aboard the Fleet at Alaxandria
whixh is to take ours & the three other Brigades to reinforce some Point further
down South the third fourth & sixth & seventh are going the third &
fourth have all ready gone aboard, General McDowel has four Divisions
under his command making one Grand Division General Franklins is
one of th eDivisions under him, we have got A new Captain in the Com
pany his name is Patch he comes from Portland Whilst the Regiment was
at Fairfax but hasnot taken command yet you know George Fernald that
kept the Hack stand right acrost the street from Edwards he came out from
Portland at the same time & has been appointed second Lieutenant of I
the Bethel Company this is the Company this is the company [sic] that has the
only Captain that came out with the Regiment his name is Edwards
I received A letter from George day before yesterday he said he was well
paid there was mighty good signs of his staying in the Fort till the
war is over I am glad that he has got such a good place & hope it is so good
as I have had this winter all that I can say is that the Army of the Poto
mac could not have any better care taken of them & as far as I am concerned
I am satisfied & am glad that I have been able to take care of myself for the
ten months past & if I ever get out of this, I shall go in the Regulars or Navy the
Regiment has got new caps we have had the regular cap all along which the
men did not like they was A great Plague on drill I am well & in good health
& hope you will answer this, in the Clipper I saw that they was not going to
allow the Army of the Potomac send home anymore letters for A While so I
you do not get any letters from me you will know the reason why, but if we em
bark this week I will try & send you word But you can send letters to the Regiment
the reason that I suppose letters wont go is the y write every little t hing that is
going about From you Son Joseph Leavitt
P.S. you will see by the date of of[sic] this letter 23d which I do not send
out till the 25th because I thought we would sail but by the looks of
things I do not think that this Division will go any further down South
but if we do go I will write as soon as we start, what I meant by saying
that the Soldiers of the Potomac could not write to their Friends is that
them that has gone aboard of the Fleet could not write & if I can get that
Piece I will try & send it to you there is reports going round that the Reg
iment is going to Guard Washington the reason I have not written Henry is
that I have not had the stamps & cannot get them if it were not for some of the members of the Company did not lend them to me,they have them sent from Home

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