Spirit - not ghost

[straggler]

Comrads,

My daughter is currently reading a book titled "The Journal of James
Edmund Pease" by James Edmond (1st published in 1998).

It is about a Union soldier and starts in Virginia in 1863.

A few pages into the book there is a list of the various officers, sergeants,
privates (abbrev. as pte) in Pease's unit.

Also on the list - Spirit 3

I am guessing that this is not a reference to their being 3 ghosts in the
unit. Is Spirit actually a period definition of something or has this author
made something up out of thin air?

[MarionRifles]

Re: Spirit - not ghost

If the soldier writing the journal was Irish or Catholic, then perhaps he was referring to the Holy Trinity(Father,Son,and Holy Ghost).It's only a guess, but I've seen this type of reference in other books.



Ron Moen

Co.A, First Texas Infantry

[KentuckyReb]

Re: Spirit - not ghost

Musicians...maybe...?

[Justin Runyon]

Re: Spirit - not ghost

I think my girlfriend has this book (soon to be elementary shool teacher). Ill take a look at it and see.

[straggler]

Re: Spirit - not ghost

Comrads,

Something of a never mind.

Should have had my daughter show me what she was talking about not
just tell me about it.
Seems every entry in the table has a number following it. (i.e. Cpl. John
Bell 21; Pte. Charlie Shelp 25; etc.). So when it says Sprit 3 it appears to
be talking about something that is 3 years old.

Probably a horse or a dog - some kind of company mascot or work animal.