Thursday, January 24, 2013

1863 January 12 across the Rappahannock from Fredericksburg, Va.

Camp of the Fifth Maine Volunteers Near the Rapahanock Va Jany 12th 1863

Dear Father--Captain Harris returned back to take charge of
the Company last night & brot the things that were sent to me
which I am much oblidged to the givers I am expecting A box from Brooklyn
as Ellen wrote to me on the fourth & said she was gone to send it the first of
the week tell Mary Wallace that I am much oblidged to her for thinking s
much of me as to send that loafe of bread which my tent mates thought was
good & it did not take us long to devour it I can tell you ask her for me how Mrs
Hardenberk gets along as I take A great likeing to her intended Husband
as I took  him for A good old Man & always thought that She would make A
good Wife for him as she was so lively when I was at home, as she used to
handle me kind of rough when I used to go at the sugar in the closet it
seems by your letters that Johny takes A great interest in yours to me as you
write that he is always at your shoulder looking on to see what you write
but I was pleased when I came to that part of your letter where it began
John Leavitt the second & I think that Johny writes A good letter & I take
A pleasure to read one from him I do not understand why A letter will not
come to you directed the old way as I always thought there was A delivery
box for them that had no box of their own & I cannot see into it
although I shall direct the way that you wrote you think that General
Rosecrans is one of them & so do I & think that if there was A few more
of such Generals in the Potomac Army you would see different things
done as I know that there is a good fighting stuff in the Army as there
is in the Western Army because they have been tried & have never been
found wanting so much for the Army of the Potomac, Tell Mother
from me that she must take tings as they come, I know that the last
year has been a sad one to her on the account of the death of Edward
& George. Good Brothers they were to me but I Hope that the year of sixty
three will be A  happy one to you & Her as I shall try not to do any thing
to cause either of you any pain & I have that resolution when the first
of the year came round, & the good advice that you have written, I have
taken to myself & think that you as A father do perfectly right in so
writing I close this by wishing that you would tell Frank Crawford
that I got his letter of of[sic] the fourth & shall write the first opportunity
& have not forgot him tell him that Edward Crie sends his love to him
  I now close by hopeing that this will be the happiest Year to you & Mother
of your lives, from your Truely & Affectionate Son Joseph Leavitt

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 John in the fall of 1865 as a remembrance of his sons both of whom died in the war, George at Second Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.

MSS 66

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.