1862 July 4 City Point, Va.

Camp Near the James River City Point Va July 4th 1862
Dear Father  I suppose you have heard of the masterly retreat
of McLellan to this Point saving every thing baggage train & all of the Troops
as it was, I suppose you have heard of this & Georges Regiment being in the fight
A week ago to day at Gains Mill, in which him & I got safe, out of it, I have not
had any sleep for as Much as a week as our Division & Genl Kearneys had to cover
the retreat which has been the hardest time I have seen since I have been here I want you
to know that I have as much confidence in genl McClellan as ever & am as willing to
Fight as ever for him & the cause but this regiment has ost some of the cooles men that
ever carried A Regiment into the Field in the Field [sic] & in that man is the name of Lieut Col Heath
who was shott while forming his Regiment & out Col was wounded & he has gone to Fortress Munroe
all of our Officers are A Cool set of men & I do not beleive that there is another Regiment in the whole
service that has any better Officer than this regiment & I can tell you that when the Officers prove themselves true
so you will find the men as true, as I am I could not keep from writing these few lines to keep you from worrying
about George & me as I sppose you had read in the papers tht this & his Regiment being in the fight Gen McLellan
is Firing A National salute & the bands are playing National tunes Genl Pope is here & has got command of the
Valley Army of Gen Banks & McDowell there is A report going round the Camp that Gen Keys has captured two batteries
& one Brigade of Rebels.  I am not here fighting the battles of Politicians but for the whole North & what you would
say for the whole country & I want you to know that the Boys are nto disheartened at the march to the James
river but believe that Genl Mclellan made it for the best interest look at it we have fallen back for A week
& had A fight with them every day & drove them & fell back in good order this is no retreat & you will find that
McClenan[sic] is the man before many days we are now on the the onward march to Richmond from your son Jos leavitt
P.S. I received another letter with four stamps & the Boston Journal

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 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.


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