1862 July 29 Camp near Harrison's Landing, Va.

Camp Fifth Maine, near Harrisons Landing Va July 29th 1862
Dear Father  Receiving yours of the twenty fourth Just after writing one & placing it in the Mail thought I would set down & answer it right away I am as well as ever which I hope will be the case all along & I can say that I was very glad to hear that my letter pleased you so as to answer it twice although I know that my talents are not great for writing I think myselfe as you say, that I have improved A great deal on my first letters any way  I have tryed  to write you as good letters as I could & think every one is an improvement on the others I suppose by the time you receive the one that I wrote yesterday you will think I had A Nigger fit I tell you it is enough to make any one have one to see how they are treated to what some of the Soldiers are I always stuck up for the Blacks, but if ever I was down upon them it is now things about the Regiment are progressing finely although we are detailed every day for something today there was A squad of Men twenty detailed to fell trees to lay up by the brestworks & they have Just come in having cut four hundred Lengths since seven oclock it now being twelve & to day our Pickets has been extended out A mile furthur  as far as I know there is not A Rebel withing ten miles of ours I think they got enough at Malvern hill on the fourth of July there is only one sick in the Hospital belonging to this Company & he is not dangerously sick our Camp is behind breastworks that stretches for seven miles around to the two ends of the river & in this Brestwork the whole Army of the Potomac that is so about the Massachusetts Battery firing five
tuns of shott & shells & the number of Pieces that belong to the battery is six four Parrots which are called the best guns in the Army & two  howitzers that are to fire grape shott when the enemy are close quarters I will now close by saying that I shall answer your questions bout the banner & that is I will like to have that every other one that you take but do no want you to get any that you do not take & Just remember what I wrote in yesterdays letter about George give my love to Mother & I hope your health & hers will continue good as it has all along From you
 Son Joseph Leavitt

[Letters of Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine and his brother George of the 5th New York, were copied into a ledger in the fall of 1865 by their father John as a remembrance of them.  Both boys were mortally wounded in the war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.]



Camp Fifth Maine, near Harrisons Landing Va July 29th 1862
Dear Father  Receiving yours of the twenty fourth Just after writing one & placing it in the Mail thought I would set down & answer it right away I am as well as ever which I hope will be the case all along & I can say that I was very glad to hear that my letter pleased you so as to answer it twice although I know that my talents are not great for writing I think myselfe as you say, that I have improved A great deal on my first letters any way  I have tryed  to write you as good letters as I could & think every one is an improvement on the others I suppose by the time you receive the one that I wrote yesterday you will think I had A Nigger fit I tell you it is enough to make any one have one to see how they are treated to what some of the Soldiers are I always stuck up for the Blacks, but if ever I was down upon them it is now things about the Regiment are progressing finely although we are detailed every day for something today there was A squad of Men twenty detailed to fell trees to lay up by the brestworks & they have Just come in having cut four hundred Lengths since seven oclock it now being twelve & to day our Pickets has been extended out A mile furthur  as far as I know there is not A Rebel withing ten miles of ours I think they got enough at Malvern hill on the fourth of July there is only one sick in the Hospital belonging to this Company & he is not dangerously sick our Camp is behind breastworks that stretches for seven miles around to the two ends of the river & in this Brestwork the whole Army of the Potomac that is so about the Massachusetts Battery firing five
tuns of shott & shells & the number of Pieces that belong to the battery is six four Parrots which are called the best guns in the Army & two  howitzers that are to fire grape shott when the enemy are close quarters I will now close by saying that I shall answer your questions bout the banner & that is I will like to have that every other one that you take but do no want you to get any that you do not take & Just remember what I wrote in yesterdays letter about George give my love to Mother & I hope your health & hers will continue good as it has all along From you
 Son Joseph Leavitt



Camp Fifth Maine, near Harrisons Landing Va July 29th 1862
Dear Father  Receiving yours of the twenty fourth Just after writing one & placing it in the Mail thought I would set down & answer it right away I am as well as ever which I hope will be the case all along & I can say that I was very glad to hear that my letter pleased you so as to answer it twice although I know that my talents are not great for writing I think myselfe as you say, that I have improved A great deal on my first letters any way  I have tryed  to write you as good letters as I could & think every one is an improvement on the others I suppose by the time you receive the one that I wrote yesterday you will think I had A Nigger fit I tell you it is enough to make any one have one to see how they are treated to what some of the Soldiers are I always stuck up for the Blacks, but if ever I was down upon them it is now things about the Regiment are progressing finely although we are detailed every day for something today there was A squad of Men twenty detailed to fell trees to lay up by the brestworks & they have Just come in having cut four hundred Lengths since seven oclock it now being twelve & to day our Pickets has been extended out A mile furthur  as far as I know there is not A Rebel withing ten miles of ours I think they got enough at Malvern hill on the fourth of July there is only one sick in the Hospital belonging to this Company & he is not dangerously sick our Camp is behind breastworks that stretches for seven miles around to the two ends of the river & in this Brestwork the whole Army of the Potomac that is so about the Massachusetts Battery firing five
tuns of shott & shells & the number of Pieces that belong to the battery is six four Parrots which are called the best guns in the Army & two  howitzers that are to fire grape shott when the enemy are close quarters I will now close by saying that I shall answer your questions bout the banner & that is I will like to have that every other one that you take but do no want you to get any that you do not take & Just remember what I wrote in yesterdays letter about George give my love to Mother & I hope your health & hers will continue good as it has all along From you
 Son Joseph Leavitt

[Letters of Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine, and George Leavitt of the 5th New York, were copied into a ledger by their father John in the fall of 1865 as a remembrance of them.  Both boys were mortally wounded in the war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania]


MSS 66