Sunday, August 5, 2012

1862 August 6 Camp near Harrisons Landing

Camp Near Harrisons Landing Va August  6th 1862
My Dear Father--Yours of the 25th & 31st of July have been received
The letters come so fast that it is hard work to find time to answer them
as fast as they come to hand, sometimes I have six or eight letters to Answer
& have to make the most of the time I have at my disposal & I no doubt leave
many things out which you at Home wish to know about, I will do the best
I can to answer all letters, now I dont mean to write less often because I mention
this for letters from Home are always acceptable no matter how often they \
are received your letters are A wonder to the men in Co F whenever I open one
to read, the size is what takes them.  I wish I could get such A letter how
long does it take you to read it &c  I hear these remarks every time I have
A letter of yours in my hand, in yours of the 25th you say should think I might
find A great many things about Camp to write about well if I was on A visit
to the  Army of the Potomac  no doubt see many things that would fill up A
number of sheets, but  being accustomed every day to their mode of life & seeding the
same performance every day, everything becomes stale & what A stranger would
see worth noticing I wold take no notice of last Thursday night we were awa
kened out of our sleep by the rapid discharge of Artilery which lasted about one
hour we were all excitement prospect of light marching orders, three days rations
&c were quite flattering but we were not called on in the morning we learned that
the Rebels across the river had opened upon the shipping at the Landing but were
soon driven away without doing much damage since then every thing has
been quiet Yesterday heavy cannonading was heard at some distance up the
River but what the occasion of it was I am unable to say some Prisoners were taken
wherever the Fighting was as I saw them pass through our Camp there are plenty
of rumors but as it is hard work to Judge what are true & what are false reports
I will say I dont know anything about it, if there has been A Fight you will get the
news in the papers before we do, Joseph was over to see me Yesterday he looks well he
thinks there is no one like his Col Jackson,  Genl. Slocum is now acting Major Genl. he
has worked himselfe up verry fast this war has brot to light some verry smart
Men & one of the smart Men whoes name I always look for in the paper is Genl
Buttler he is the man for me, I wish we had A few more like him to conduct this
war, if we had you would see A different state of things wherever he has had
control he has shown that he is A very smart Man, in Baltimore he soon put
things in order, at Fortress Munroe he had not controll but at New Orleans he has
had controll of everything & he has shown that he is the Man for that depart
ment, our own Townsman Genl Geo F Shepley comes in for no small share of
Praise little did I think that Ge F Shepley who I used to see walking the streets
of Portland verry often with A Law gook under his arm would be A General
in the Army of the United States & Military Govoner of Louisania well so it is

we dont know what A day will bring forth our own State will bare an
important part in the History of this rebelion wherever the Maine Regiments
have been engaged in battle they have always proved equal to the best although
I belong to A New York Regiment I think more of the Fame attached to our own
State Volunteers & often wish I was at Home & could get A commission in one
of our Main Regiments, if I was at home this present time I would try for one
but as I am not, I will content myselfe where I am there has been A large number
of Promotions in this Regiment since the recent battles my time will come per
haps one of these days I should like A commission in one of the new Regiments
now forming in Maine, the health of the Regiment is not of the best in fact all of
Regiments around here have been more or less sick Funerels are verry common
the second year tells on the Troops from the twenty fifth of April 1861 to twenty
fifth of May 1862 there was not A single death in this Regiment since that time
we have A different story to tell, you have heard about the rest which the Army
is supposed to be enjoying that rest untill verry lately has been on paper only
but that is nothing it is like all the rest of the statements about having good Gruel  &
whose fault it is I am not prepared to say Yesterday we had A pretty good
dinner to day we have nothing but fat bacon so it goes A feast of A famine such
is A Soldiers life, Mr Frost may be right in saying that  businessmen have A much
harder time than we do but I dont see it, it is true we have nothing to do gut to attend
to our duties as Soldiers, but still we are away from those we love & for the priviledge
of seeing them we would change places, we expect nothing from the People when
the war is over we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that we have done our duty
nothing more, if this war was ended tomorrow & I should return home & wish to get
A situation by saying that I was A Volunteer in the war of 61 & 62 would not
get it any sooner than if I had remained at Home doing nothing the People
are ungrateful as soon as the war is ended & the Country safe the People will
be as selfish as ever,  you might consider that A Young Man that had enlisted
when the Country was in danger, had suffered every privation in battle in
Camp on the March entitled to A position before he that had staid at Home
but you would proberly  would be the only one in A whole block of stores such is
the Idea I have of the matter, but this will have no effect, I only  bring this up
to ofsett your argument about A man being more likely to obtain A situation
after severing  his Country faithfully, for myselfe I have no fear about my prosp
ering in life at times things have looked verry dark but I have always endea
                          I find by being cheerful
voured to be Cheerful ^ whatever may happen to darken my path, is having its
effects I have the good will of every man in the Company if there is anything I want
that anyone of them has, I can get it, you dont know how I long to return Home, once
more to see all those familiar faces gut it cannot be as long as the war lasts I will be
content to stay hopeing the day is not far distant when I shall be permitted to see you
all one more from you Son George W. Leavitt

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


MSS 66

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