[John Leavitt misplaced this letter when he was recording the letters sent home by his son Joseph and placed it in the volume at this point]

Dear Father–I will now try to give you A full account of the Bat
tle of Bulls Run which you have been trying to know about, it is and Old
Story but as you have written A number of times about it in you Letters I will
set down & try to give you a full account of the affair when whe Landed
in Alaxandria the only Regiment that was here was Elmore the Fire Zouaves
which was guarding the City with the third & fourth of Maine the Maine
Regiments started from Washington one night before we left & our Regiment
went & Camped about two miles from the City in A place which they call
Clouds Mills & staid there about A week & then changed the Camp to A place
called Bush hill which was owned by A man by the name of [Strate?] which he
said he was A native of Maine but that he had lived Thirty Five years out
here & he called himself sixty years old & I should think he was about that
we had not been here no longer than three weeks before we had orders
to pack up our knapsacks & be ready to march to the Field of Battle which
we started the next Morning & we got as far as Springfield that night
when we rested for the night & next morning have to start about three
oclock for another days march & then every halfe hour throwing out
an advance guard to see wether they could see anything of any Masked
Batteries we kept on so till dark when the hold[sic] Army had to cross A
stream of water on A plank which time they were crossing was about
three hours & then have to march about Four miles further & then rest
for the night the next morning Companies E & G was put on Guard of
A thirty two pounder which we guarded till we got to Centreville but there
was A great accident in Company E in which A member of that company
shott & he died instantly all on that March there was nothing but killing
of Cattle Which we eat at noe house we had & plenty of honey we had
three hives each one weighing about seventy five pounds we staid at
Centreville a week & on the morning of the twenty first of July 1861 which
was Sunday whe started for the field of Action which was six miles from
Centreville the Brigade in which my regiment was in was put on A reserve
one in about three or four hours from the time in which they commenced to
Fire we was all on which time we was going three miles was only fifteen
minutes when we was the last Regiment to go on & the last to retreat so that
you see that the Maine Fifth had A hard chance on the retreat to get
off the Maine Fifth has not the praise it ought to have at that Battle
& it has dishartened most of its members & there has gone home A great many
stories that is not true about the Regiment that retreat was only one day
day[sic] getting back to Alaxandria when we was getting there at Bulls run
three days on the march so that you can see that was A kind of hard
march for me but I held out I have gone as far on that old scrape as I
can now I must close my letter, I am well & hope by the time you get
this that it will find you the same & the rest of the Family give my love
to Aunt Remick if she is at home & tell her that I should like to have her
to write me A letter From you r affectionate Son
Joseph Leavitt
this letter was mislaid therefore was not coppid in proper order
J L

Letters from Joseph Leavitt and his brother George Leavitt 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

[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding of the 25th Massachusetts]

Went ashore again this forenoon
and got several little things, I came
off a little after noon. This afternoon
sat by the fire and read papers and talked
A nice day. Washed also.

MSS 11293

4th Ga Bat. [Battalion]
Dear Ma,
I will write now to correct an error
made in my last letter to you. In that I said
I had sent you a sack of salt. I failed to do
it and will give my reasons. When I came
through Savannah Monday the 23rd inst, salt
was worth $14 a sack. I had with me just
money enough to buy a sack, and was waiting
to see if I could have my boxes brought down
for nothing, in which case I intended to
buy a sack & send it on. But just before
I had made arrangements to have them
brought, orders came for all absentees to
hasten to camps at once. So I failed to
get the salt. Last Saturday Lieut Carliles
went to town & I gave him money to buy a sack
and wrote to you. He found it worth $24.00
& of course failed to buy. You see then how
it is. I ought to have written sooner but I have
not had time. There are now 7 Yankee vessels
in sight and we are expecting every moment

[page 2]
to hear the ball open. We work and stand
guard day & night. Sunday we worked on
the battery & at night our company was
detailed to go out on picket. I watched
all night without sleeping at all. We were
in hearing of the Yankees. We could hear
them call the hour distinctly & ring the
bells every half hour. We are trying to mount
another cannon on our battery, but can only
work at night for fear of being seen
by the enemy. I am sorry to know that
the men do not have that confidence in the
Authorities at Savannah, which men should
have in those who command them, and this
want of confidence is not without cause. I
hope however that the justness of the cause
in which we are engaged will enable us to give
the victory, notwithstanding the weakness of
of [sic] our Heads of Departments? We will get
another uniform for the men in a few days
it will be a very good suit & will cost $3.50
each. It is made by the Soldiers Relief Society of
Savannah, hence the cheapness. – I will
write again as soon as anything important
occurs, ____ We are listening for the firing to
begin, and all are anxious for the fight. Bob
keeps well & cheerful. ___ John
Respects &c understood.

[Written in the margin at the top of page one:]
I think salt will be cheaper after a while. If you can
possibly do without a while, I think you would do
well to wait. If you say so I will send you a
sack any how, at any price.

MSS 11319

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Were mustered and
reviewed this morning
No dress parade received
my mended boots
Hauled some more wood this
afternoon
mostly clear pleasant

midnight

have just
returned from serenading
the officers of our Reg.
also Comd of Post

MSS 10317

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Played & practised as usual
Wrote letters to Libbie
Escorted a funeral of a
member of the 26 Reg throu
gh the town clear pleasant
cool

MSS 10317

[from the diary of Francis G. Hale of ther 34th Ohio]

I slept last night on
a feater bed the sechon
one I have slept in since
I have been in virginia
killed a hop for break
fast as we was eating
our breakfast there was
a man fired at us from
a big hill but he did
not his us the ball fell
short and hit the house
we did not see him he
run after he shot
fter we eat our break
fast eleven of us went
up where he had ben
we saw his tracks up
ther by a big tree his
name is Bill Pitcher as
near as we can learn
we went from Davises to
Beach fork and followed
down it untill we stopt
at another house three
of our boys went for to
get the horses they was
over a hill htere was
two men building a house
they took for the woods
and the boys fired at
and hit on they think
he fell and put his hand
up to his back and
crawled a piece we
then went on to the
mill where they say
the two boys was
killed the Zouaves
there was a woman
a runing the mill
the boys tryed to make
her tell where they was
beried but she would not
tell the boys threatened
to shoot and drawed
there gunes on her
but she would not tell
there was three wimen
at the house but they
swore they did not see
them nor did not
know any thing of
them the boys started
out to hunt for them
they did not find the boys
but they found lots of
blankdts and a jacket
and fine shawl they was
hid under some rock on a hill
side they brought
them to the house and
had them to sleepe on
I was out on a hill
side and I found a
bed sheet full fo tobacko
it was hid under a shock
of fodder in the corn
field we stopt to stay
all night they boys just
went in on ever thing
chickens and mollases and
every thing that
they could get they
burnt the fence up
and all the wood
they would have burnt
the mill and the house
if the captain had not
cept them from it.
a bout nine o clock
there was a fellow let
his gun go of and shot
one of our boys through
the leg the leg is broke
I helpt to set the leg
or fix it the ball enter
ed just a bove the
nee and went clear through
the fellow that got shot
is a coporel is name
is Clack from cincinatti
he was a first rate boy
as good as there was
in the company
the Cpatain haten it
awfull bad we had to
give up our expedition
on that a count.

MSS 13405