1862 May 2 near Yorktown

Yorktown on the Steamer John Brooks May 6th 1862
Dear Father--I thought I would set down & try to pen you A few
lines to let you know where I am & what i am about at this time we left
Alaxandria on the 17th of last month & have been on board of the steamer
most of the time since, we went Ashore day before yesterday at Ship Point as we thought
to stay two or three days but the news came into our Camp yesterday informing
that this place has been evacuated by the Rebels & that our troops was follo
wing them up on a duble quick & then we had orders to go on board of the boat
& started at 4 o clock this morning we started for this place as you can see
that I am on board of this Boat close by the Wharfe of the immemorvalle [sic]
Yorktown the place that the whole World has been looking on to see our side
whiped but we took it without hardly A strugle on our side but if the rebels
surrender a place so strongly Fortified as this I do not know h\where they will
make A stand in the State of Virginia I wish you could see the Place the
River side of the Town is Fortified natural so that you would think it was
almost impossible to take it & to see the large points where their batteries which
they have got all along the Shore anyone would think that it never could be
taken but I can tell you they do not like to face General McClellan for he
Pounds on them with so many large guns that they know that he will whip
them for they think it no better to run than to get Whipped in your letter to me
of the 17th you say that I Patronized the Suttler & you think there is no cause for
me to buy any thing from him because I do not complain about the Food
that i get I get enough to eat of the kind & I can tell you that when I get
anything from hi it tastes kind of good you said something about my
not keeping my promise i know that I did not send any of my last payment
but you will never have cause to write again to me about the Suttler because
I will send it after this, the Payroll has been made out for two months
pay so look out for fifteen dollars you kind of spoke as though I did not
think anything about you, now I want you to know think something of
you & why should I not you have treated me as A Father & why should I not
treat you the same I know sometimes that you have been Plagued & I
have caused you A Great deal truble but them things are all passed I
will now close my letter & Just as soon as I get ashore I will try & give you
some more information of the Town of Yorktown yesterday I received your
three back letters of the 17th, 19th, 25th & one of yours was one from Mother &
I also received one from William dated the 19th I am well & enjoying good
health which I hope is the case with you & the rest of the Family
From Your Son Josep Leavitt, P.S. Direct your letters to Washington the
same & answer this as son as you get it because I want you to answer every letter
that I write.


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