1862 June 22 Camp near New Bridge, Va.

Camp near New Bridge Va, Sunday June 22  1862
My dear Mother--although I have not written A letter to you this some
time past, I have not forgotten you, moveing about as we have been for
the past two months it was a much as I could do to answer the letters I
received from Home & as I answer Fathers letter as soon as I get an oppor-
tunity I thought they would do for both to day haveing nothing to do &
no letter to answer I thought I could do no better than write you A few
lines informing you how I get along & what we are doing here my health
is verry good & I hope it will continue so, nothwithstanding we have had
verry hard times since we have been on the Peninsular my health has
been first rate, as good as it ever was this season of the year, we have
passed through A great deal of rough wether & hard work at the present
time we are taking A little rest which we need verry much all eyes I
suppose are turned on Richmond & everyone at Home I see by the papers
believe that with the fall of Richmond the war will end whether it will
be so or not time will tell, you need not look for a move on the part of
McLellan for several weeks as he will not commence opperations untill
the siege guns & Morters are in Position & to get the siege guns & to get the
mortars up from the White House wil take time, those that remain at
Home can have no Idea of the immense amount of labour that is required
& the difficulties that are to be overcome preparing for A siege in this
part of the country we that belong to the Army of the Potomac know
what difficulties have to be surmounted & account for the long delays I
believe in some of the letters I have written Father I spoke about the long
time it took six mules to move A waggon eight miles now they can move
from the White House Landing to the chickahominy there from the fcars the
guns & amunition have to be drawn to the different batteries in which they
are to be placed Oxen are used for this purpose instead of Horses as at the siege
at Yorktown, all that is now required is pleasant weather  which I hope we
will have as we have had any quantity of rainy wether since we have been
on the Peninsular last thrusday 19th, we received shelter tents the first we have
had since we left Yorktown they are welcome I can tell you we have no shelter
whatever except what we could  rig out of our Ponchon & a verry poor shelter some
of them made if it had not been for the rubber punchons which some of the men
were fortunate enough to have we should have been poorly off, as it was some
of us might as well have been out in the rain as under our rude shelter but we
soon forgot our troubles, if we have two or three days rain trhen we look at the
clouds overhead but as soon as the sun comes out bright & forget all about the ran
then another cause for A growl is the Grunt fall in for dinner Co F, sings out oll[sic] pop
the Cook what have you got for dinner rice perhaps will be the answer any sugar
or molasses to put on it No, then keep your rice sometimes it will be soup which
is made in this way take five pails of water in three of them put some fresh meat
& boil it untill you have used up every drop of water in the other two kettles then
take out the meat & fill up the kettle water to put in A little rice & some prepared
vegitables & boil as long as you chose stiring all the time with A stick, then there
is the coffee which we have only morning & evening perhaps you would like to know
how that is made, the same kettles that are used for boiling pork salt beef & soup are
used for making coffee the Kettle (the kettle has no cover) are filled iwth water and
put over the fire as soon as the water begins to boil the coffee which is of A good quality
& light colour is thrown into the kettle ans left to boil until the dirt fromt he inside
of the kettle gets mixed  with the coffee which gives it A splendid black look, then it is
given out to us then we sit down to our breakfast which consists of hard crackers, by way
of  change we have McClellan pies which are made the same as the crackers, do you
think you would get tired if youhad to live on  hard crackers for six months
now why I ask you this if for this reason you know there is A large number of us that
have lived on just such food ever since we left Baltimore, well now would n\you
wonder if we should wish to get something better, & would you wonder if when we see
A suttlers waggon approach our Camp we run to that suttlers waggon if we have any
money in our pockets to get something good to eat no matter what the price, I say
would you wonder, do you think A piece of cheese would go bad, or a few gintercakes
or A few lemons or oranges, in Fact do you think anything the suttler would be
likely to have would taste bad & then would you wonder if the waggon should be surrounded
by A Hungry crowd willing to pay any price for A small piece of cheese & A few cakes,& then
would you wonder if I was disappointed after waiting an hour for my turn to be served & have
the cheese all gone before I get A piece now the Suttlers take advantage of these circumstances
& charge awful prices to give you an Idea how we are swindled I will Just name A few prices
which the suttlers charge cheese 40 to 50 cts per lb butter 50  & lemmons 3 for twenty five cents ginger
cakes the same as the bakers sell for five cents pr doz the stutler gives 10 for 25 cts preserved meats
such as are sold in the groceries for 50 cts pr can 1.50 & everything else in proportion now
I know what you will say. You will say George you are not oblidged to buy of the suttler
you should save every cent, the only answer I shall give is come out here & try our
grub live as we have lived since we have been on the Peninsular Jo was over to se[e] me
A few days ago he looks well I was glad to see him as I cannot get out myselfe that is
to go any distance, how I should like to drop in some fine morning & get A good cup
of coffee (something we seldom get now) I was going to say warm buiscuit but
happened to think that mary Wallace is not there now I dont wish you to understand
by this that you dont know how to make god bread but you know that Mary
Wallace could beat the world on buscuits. I will close by hoping to meet you
next Fall in Portland from your Son
                                                             George


Letters from George Leavitt of the 5th New York and his brother Joseph  of the 5th Maine  were copied into a ledger by their father John Leavitt in the fall of 1865 in order to remember his sons who were both mortally wounded in the war, George at Second Bull Run, August 30, 1862 and Joseph at Soptsylvania, May 18, 1864.


MSS 66