1862 December 2 Stafford Court House Va

Stafford Court House Va Dec 2d 1862
Dear Father---It gives me great pleasure to sit down & pen you A few lines to
let you know that I am enjoying good health which I hope that you & Mother are enjoying the same
My Thanksgiving passed off in A very good way such as can be expected by A Soldier but I did not
have the luxuries that I always had at Home nor do I expect any such foot but make the most
of what we do get is the best that the Government affords there is only thing that I blame the Gover
nment for & that is the removal of Genl McClellan & there is no one that can change my opinion
of him as A commander he was A General who always had A good word for his soldiers nor was
he afraid to speak to A Private & when he ever went to review his troops he had A smile
on I received A letter from William the other night dated the 19th in which he said that
he thought that the removal of McClellan was A good thing now I want you to unders
tand that I went through A Peninsular campaign & he was in command of the Army
& I can say that I had A chance to see some of his Generalship & I do not care to have any
other General but as the Government has chosen General Burnside & I have about eighteen
months to serve I shall try through these eighteen months to do my duty no matter who
is in command so you need not worry about me on that account I have not received
any letter from you I think now for some three weeks which I think is kind of strange but
I hope this will find you all well, I will now close this by saying what I did in
Williams letter & that is that I did not come out here to fight for Niggers, I came for
the purpose of restoring the Southern States to this Union not for Niggers I will
now close this by saying give my love to Mother & all enquiring Friends, write soon &
tell Mother to from your Truely & affectionate son Joseph Leavitt.

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 after the war as a remembrance of his sons, both of whom were mortally wounded in combat, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.

MSS 66