1862 January 14 Camp Franklin Near Alaxandria

Dear Father--I recd your kind & welcome letter of the 3d & should
have answered it before but I have had no chance yesterday it snowed
here & two or three inches fell I wrote to Ellen last night you said some
thing about card playing there is A great deal done in this Regiment
after it gets paid off I do not play any because I do not know how to play
nor do I wish to know you wanted to know how the shanty was built it is
built square six logs at a side twenty four making the hold concern & after this is
made we bank it all up with earth then we put the tent right over it the other day
at the Brigade was out on drill Genl Slocums horse had A bayonet stuck in him we
was charging bayonets when the Horse gave A leap towards the bayonets the Horse was
worth over Five hundred dollars there is one of my tent mates who has been laying sick in the tent for over A week with A fever but he went to the hospital this morning where I hope he will get better I have not got more than two Portland Advertisers for three weeks we are going to practice target shooting the distance to stand from the targets is to be Five hundred yards & as each man tries his name is to be put down how nigh he comes to the mark we are to continue this for A month then after that we are got to attend to drilling the Guard House has been floored & new bunks made in it there has been thirty six Maid in it & Sentry boxes the Guard as they come off Guard have passes given to them it has not been so before since Jackson has had the command but when we had the old Officers no one could go in but the Guard & now Jackson is going to do the same thing which is the right way I could not get that pass to go to Baltimore the General would not sign it, but next week I am going to have one to go to Washington to see what is going on there I am well & hope this will find you & the rest of the Family enjoying the same From you 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 John Leavitt in October 1865 "because they are of value to me and I was fearful that they might get mislaid." Both boys were mortally wounded in the war, George at Second Bull Run, August 30, 1862, and Joseph at Spotsylvania, May 18, 1864. MSS 66