1862 October 19 Bakersville Maryland

Bakersville Maryland Oct 19th 1862

Dearest Mother, I have Just come in from Religious services & as I thought
you would like to read A Chapter from the one that our Chaplain took his
text from the 14th Chapter of Romans & the seventh verse which I thought
was a very good text He is one of the Chaplains that I know that you wo
uld like I am well & never enjoyed better better[sic] health in my life which
I hope is the case with you & the rest at Home give my love to Edward & tell
him that I hope that he is well enough to get about & hope that I shall have
A Chance as he said of seeing him once more but as i am there is no knowing
wether we will have the opportunity but you & him must remember that if we
do not have the opportunity as there is no knowing when we shall be called
into battle & if I should be one of them that should fall Remember I fell doing
my duty & that I never deserted the regiment at the time of its going into battle
as I have been in every engagement that the regiment has but I do not think there
there will be any more battles fought by the Potomac Army this Winter but I think we
will be in Winter Quarters before A Fortnight comes round yo[u] tell Father that
the Quartermaster has Just arrived from Washington he said that he was the
Paymaster & he told Him that he could not pay off the Brigade before the 15 of next
Month as there was not money enough in the treasury at Washington as they have had
to pay the new Regiments so you tell him I cannot send not till then when I
will certainly send some the Division has lost General Slocum as he has been
assigned to take command of General Burnsides Corps, as he has been assigned to
take command of one of the expeditions that are getting up to go against Charles
town & Savannah as he done so well last Winter I will now close this by saying
that I shall write to William next then Henry, write to you by turns, from
Your 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 at the end of the war by their father John as a remembrance of his sons both of whom died in the war, George at Second Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania]

MSS 66