Camp near new Bridge Va June 17th 1862
My Dear Father your letter dated July 9th has been received now
what do you want to date your letters one month ahead for, you are
getting along to fast, you will be into Winter before you know it I suppose
you wrote the letter the 9th June, you sent the New York Ledger that is
dated only one week ahead we have Just had one of those awful long
marches we have been on A Rebel Hunt which has turned out like all of
our expeditions, we have had A March of forty miles for nothing when we
left Hannover Court House after the battle it looked strange to me that
such an important place as I considered Hannover Court House to be
should be left without any troops, but such is the fact not A Soldier was left
at this place well last Friday our Brigade consisting of 1st connecticut
5th & 10th New York were ordered to get ready to march at once we had
not move than get ready when we were started off & marched three miles
when we learned that our Pickets at old Church had been charged upon
by A band of Gurrillas that had come in by the Hannover Court House
road the number was stated to be five thousand we arrived at old
Church at midnight here we found A lot of the sixth regulars Cavelry
many were the questions we asked & many were the answers we got, but could
not make out wether there was 5000 cavelry, Infantry or artilery or wether
there was two or three hundred, here we bivouaced for the night at day
light we were started off in the direction of the White House where it was
said the Rebels were abound we arrived at Tunstalle station at noon and
encamped in the woods where we remained untill twelve Oclock at night
when we stated for Ca,mp at daylight we halted & had coffee the coffee was
the only thing that got us into Camp if it had not been for the coffee we would
not have arrived into Camp untill the next day as we were completely
used up coffee is A great institution, we can go without meat three or four days
& not mind it, but Just keep back our coffee & we growl, we dont know what
became of the garrillas, we have got to wait for the papers to find that out
this being on the reserve i A humbug we have done nothing but march
& counter March ever since we left Baltimore if A gun is fired we are to be
trotted out & travel about forty or fifty miles on some wild goose chase this
is little to much of A good thing & we are getting tired of it, some one is to blame
in this every road should be so guarded that anything of this kind could not
happen, you will get the particulars in the papers, all of the Maine Regiments
have proved themselves as good as the best the second at Hannover Court
House was int he thickest of the Fight, this Regiment has lost A large
number of men by sickness & on the battlefield the Regiment does not
number ove[r] three hundred & fifty men I was informed by one of the men
belonging to it Jo was over to see me I was glad to see him we cannot bet out we
are kept here as close as we can be I shall be glad when this war is over so that I
can have A little more liberty as you say, Forts Pillow & Randolph have been
& Memphis has surrendered, still I stick to what I said before, if Richmond
should be evacuated we shall have the work to do over again, that is, if no
battle should take place before Richmond & the rebels should succeed in
retreating to some other place we have got to follow them up & commence the
siege again if I am not verry much mistaken we shall awake some morning
& find Richmond evacuated & the rebels no where to be found preperations
for siege are going on & we are verry near the enemy I have been on Pickett
within speaking distance of the rebel pickets but did not say any ting to
them as my orders were verry strict,although it is A verry common thing for the
Pickets to converse together picket duty now is no comfortable business I can
assure you standing in A swamp with the water up to your waist is not
verry pleasant, as things look now you need not look for A movement om\n
Richmond for weeks, one rainy day puts us back three, in taking Richmond
will end our active service for the season, in the Fall we will have more of
it, I may be mistaken but I think not, you are confident that with the take
ing of Richmond the war will end, will I hope it may. I shall be glad enough
I can assure you to return Home once more, you say that you & Mother are all
that constitutes the family has Mary Wallace gone Home, what A change, I
can not see before me all those familiar aces at the table, I should like to
sit sown to A plate of hallibut, & I promise you I would not turn up my nose
& say fish, Genl Porter is now in command of an Army Corps, we are in Por
ters corps Sykes divis8ion Warrens Brigade now our Regiment is under the
command of Lieut Col Duryea no relation Genl Duryee as you will see the
names are spelt different but pronounced the same, when you write again
let me know how Portland looks all about the new Buildings that have been
built since I left let me know how commercial street looks & whether the
appearance of the City has improved any since I left, hopeing you will
continue to enjoy good health & that this war will end soon & we meet
again at thirty seven Pleasant street I remain your Son
George
I receivd the Advertisers of June 3d & 7th
Letters from George Leavitt of the 5th New York and his brother Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine 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.
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