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Sole of an engineer This sketch of a pair of army shoes is incredibly detailed for its size, which is no longer than two ruled writing lines in height. There seems to be little connection with the entry whose margins it graced (transcribed here), but these are also likely the type of shoes Thompson, when bored while in winter quarters, threatened to borrow from his messmate to bridge a small stream in camp. This sketch and the following entries together provide insight into a soldier’s life between campaigns. (Library of Congress)
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In His Words: The Exceptional Life of Union Engineer Gilbert Thompson
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