1862 March 9 Alexandria, Va.

Camp Franklin Near St Johns Seminary Alaxandria Va March 9/62
Dear Father I will now sit down & try to answer your letter of the 25th
& 4th which I received on the 7th with A letter from William & six true flags
which I was verry glad to get yours of the 25th had two postage stamps enclosed
we are not allowed with any Passes to go to the City with on account of having
Marching orders I am well & enjoying good health & was glad to hear the same
of you & all of the rest of the Family those two cards that I placed in Mothers
letter I put in for Johny & I thought I wrote the same in the letter they say
that we will March to Morrow or next day which I am glad to hear they & they
say that we will not get Paid of this month which if we do I shall not send
home any this payment as I wrote to you that I should on account of Marching
& if we do I shall want it & you must not think hard of it I can tell you that
I shall not spend it for any thing but what I need badly. I shall send you
my wages but when we get paid of this time. I shall keep this payment the
the[sic] sixteenth New York Regiment Colonel Davies that is in this Brigade arch
yesterday & I suppose the order will come for this Regiment to March you
did not say anything about Williams Marriage in your letter which I saw
in the Portland Weekly Argus there is reports going round the Camp Ground
that Leesburgh was taken by Colonel Grevy that was one of the Rebels strong
holds I will close by saying good day & if you do not get any money from
me this payment it will not be so all the time I have sent you twenty five
dollars since I have been her, & I forgot how much I gave you on Camp
Preble, but I shall send you more if I do not this payment From
your Son Joseph Leavitt March 10th it is now three oclock in the
morning & have packed our knapsacks to go on the March at 9 oClock

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