1862 December 29 camp across from Fredericksburg

Camp of Fifth Maine Regt Near the Rapahannock Va December 29th, 1862

Dear Father---I was verry glad to receive yours of the 23rd this morning
& I can assure you that I was glad to hear of your good health, But as I set writing
this to you the remains of one of the members of Company I this Regiment passed by
which is the first case of death by sickness that has happened in this Regiment
since leaving Harrisons Landing the health of the Regiment has been good since
we came from the James River & the time staid there we lost seven in one week
& you can see by that what A change there has been in the Regiment. Father this
Regiment has been in six pitched battles & every one of them I have been in &
returned safe out which I am thankful to the Father above & I shall continue
to do my duty as I have all along no matter who is in Command as I wrote before
I will close these few lines by putting in fifteen dollars as A new years present
   From your truly & affectionate Son Joseph Leavitt
P.S. Please give my love to Brother & all the rest of the folks write soon
P.S. Tell Mr [Orie?] that I was over to the seventeenth Yesterday & Edward was
looking nicely I have not seen Daniel Shaw since I wrote last.

Letters of Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine and his brother George of the 5th New York were copied in a ledger by their father in the fall of 1865 as a remembrance of his boys both of whom died in the war, George at 2nd Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania

MSS 66