Charles Henry Leavitt of the 29th Mass Vols

CHARLES HENRY LEAVITT was the son of John Phillips and Mary Smith (Taylor) Leavitt, born in Exeter, NH on 25 Dec 1827 [Desc. of Moses Leavitt v1, pg 100].

An Exeter, New Hampshire resident, he was working as a clerk at the Squamscott House Hotel when he left for Boston, Mass and signed up for three years with the 29th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He served with them from 18 May 1861 until 1 Feb 1864, when he was transferred into Co. I of the 36th Mass Inf.

On 22 Feb 1864, the Exeter Newsletter printed a letter from someone in the 11th NH, who mentioned seeing Charles Leavitt:

​He was wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6th, 1864, when a musket ball struck him in the neck, near the jaw [Exeter Newsletter, 5/16/64, pg 4]. The projectile was extracted, and only resulted in a slight flesh wound, with a week in the hospital. His 3 years were up on 18 May '64, but he was not mustered out of service until 2 Sept [service recs on Fold3].  

In the Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors [Vol 3, pg 329], it says that Charles reenlisted in "Co. K, 7th Regiment Hancock Corps, to the credit of New Jersey". His step-mother, in her pension application (not approved), listed the unit as Co. K, 7th US Vet. Vols". His exact service dates during this time are not yet known, but he was in Exeter, NH on 29 March of 1865, during which time he filed a will. 

The regiment was part of Hancock's 1st Corps, stationed at Camp Stoneman, Washington, DC. He died there in the General Hospital on 3 July 1865, from diarrhea, aged 38 yrs, 6 mos. His body was not returned to Exeter, NH until Nov, where he was buried on the 16th of that month [Exeter Newsletter, 11/20/65, pg 3]. He was buried in the Exeter Cemetery.

He was a single man, and left the income of his estate, both real and personal, to his step mother Sarah Jane [Rock County Probate, file #19626]. After her decease, his siblings would equally divide it. He had a house on a 1/4 acre of land on the road to Hampton (High Street) in Exeter (his father also lived on same road).

His half-brothers, Joseph W. and John W. Leavitt, also served during the Civil War. They both survived.