1862 July 10 Harrisons Landing, Va.

Camp near Harrisons Landing Va July 10th 1862
My Dear Father  yours of the 21 & 22 were received soon after we arrived to the Camp
I suppose you are anxious to hear from us after these hard times we have been
through it will be impossible for me to give you any discription of what we have
passed through you have seen the papers & know about the battles of Thursday
Friday, Saturday Sunday,Monday, Tuesday 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th & 31st six
days hard Fighting & what has been the result simply we have been oblidged to
change Front as McClennen says well whose fault is this who is to blame for the
defeat for defeat it is & nothing else & no amount of agument will alter the case
the fault is to be charged to Congress & Politicians instead of attending to the war
Congress has done nothing by play & fool the time away trying to hinder Genl.
McClellan, when Yorktown was evacuated the thing should have been pushed
forward troops should have been sent forward to reinforce the Army but enstead
this being done the Army was allowed to grow smaller & smaller by sickness, while
the rebel Government were pressing every Man into the service that they coul
lay their hands upon, our Army has been allowed to dwindle down to the smallest
number these are facts I speak from what I know now to give you an idea of the
falling off in the army since we left Yorktown I will just say t his Regiment left
Baltimore with nine hundred & seventy six men (976) on the day of the battle
on the 27th we did not number four hundred the same story can be told of every
Regiment in the Army now you can put that & that together & make up your
mind where the blame ought to rest for my part I am satisfied that this has
been A defeat & it came verry near being A bull run even worse Wednesday
morning when we were leaving Malvern Hill on Turkey bend if the Rebels had
mistrusted how we were situated the whole army could have been cut to pieces
you may think I am wild but I am telling you nothing but facts it was the
wil of Providence we should escape now Just look at it six days fighting no sleep
you would wonder if we got played out at last, Porter Heintcelman Kerney
Summer & [Keyes?] in the fight all the time could they stand A great while
Longer would it be wondered at if they should give out at last, what I wonder
at is  that we held out against such great odds so long no one except those in the
Army know what we have passed through I cannot describe it to you on paper six days
constant Fighting & retreating six days cannonading six days continual excitement
every nerve strung up to the highest pitch, take A violin & screw up the strings untill
they are ready to snap then you will have some Idea of the condition the six days
fight left us. the Army that proberly numbered one hundred & twenty thousand
will not number now seventy five thousand & the blame should be laid where it belongs
to the Congress of the United States all they have done is to talk Nigger & hatch up some contract whereby
some of their friends or themselves could rob the government the consequence of all this is we are defeated
how it will end God only knows hoping this war will end before many months & I shall have the pleasure of seeing you all once more I remain your Son George

Letters of George Leavitt of the 5th New York and his brother Joseph of the 5th Maine were copied into a ledger after the war by their father as a remembrance.  Both boys died in the war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.

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