The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-01-18
CIVIL WAR VETERAN
RECALLS INCIDENTS

Written by Thomas Goss on his 18th
birthday. January ~
am this day 78 years old, an old
soldier of the Civil War and q member
Of Canby Post No l6, G. A. R.. Hood
River. Oregon. ] enlisted on the llth
daY of September, 1861. to serve three
years If not sooner discharged. | was
discharged after the siege and fall of
Vieksburg in 1863. by reason to reenlist
as veteran volunteer to serve three
years, or during the war. Was dis
charged again at Mobile, Ala. October
"a, 1866 by reason of services no longer
required. Ii was our intention to 20
into the three-month service but did
not get our company filled in time, SO
We held our organization and met every
Saturday afternoon for company drill.
SO that when we were called into the
l4th regiment Wisconsin Infantry We
were tairly well drilled company in
the evolutions of company drill.
We named ourselves the Forest TN.
ion Rifles and were uniformed in green
jackets, white pants and blaeks:belts.
Our first captain was good drill mas
ter and fencer and some of the boys
soon became proficient in that line of
work. But we were not called into
camp until September. when We went
to Camp Hamilton. Fond du Lac. Wis.
There we were mustered into U. S.
service by an officer from the U. s.
army.
We stayed IN Camp Hamilton until
the 9TH day OF March, 1862. BY that
time we were as well drilled in COM
pany and battalion drill as any reei-
ment in the service. When the regi.
ment was organized We were given the
left center, Co. H.
A regiment is composed of 10 com.
panies and lettered from right to left
in the following order: A, F, D, ].
C, II, E, X, G. B. Co. A. is on the
right. Co. B. on the left. Go. c. right
center, Co. H. the left center. and the
colers are carried between Co. G. and
Co. II. and consist of Old Glory and
the state flag from the state the regi-
ment comes from. The color guard
consists of four ssrgeants and four cor
porals.
A company consists OF IS men, cap
tain. two lieutenants. orderly sergeant,
four sargeants of the line and eight
corporals. A company is divided into
platoons, each platoon into two sec.
tions. On parade the captain stands in
the front rank at the head of the CON-
pany. The orderly sergeant directly
behind him in the rear rank. The lieu
tenants four PAGES in the rear and d.
rectly behind each section and the cor.
poraIs one at the head and foot OF each
section. They are designated as guides.
or maskers. while the sargeants are
known as file cIosers.
am describing military tactics as
we knew them, not as they are today.
am writing this from memory. My
figure of speech is homely. but shall be
true in the main. am mass of tenn
porate habits. ! don't drink tea nor
coffee, beer nor whiskey no spirits Of
any kind unless ordered by physician |:
don't eat tobacco nor use it in any way,
unless it is to kill some pest in the
orchard. But this do acknowledge, ]
fear God not with slavish fear, but
with revential awe. and try to gauge
my life according to the precepts Of
Holy Writ.
And now. Mr.. Glacier. since we are
beginning to get acquainted. i had bet
ter close for this time. and the next
letter will take us into the field.