Diary of Corporal Alexander G. Downing: Monday, April 4, 1864

It rained all last night and nearly all day. I attended a party this evening at Mr. Fossett's and we all had a fine time which passed off very rapidly. There were fourteen couples present. I remained over night with my old bunk-mate, James. I enjoyed my visit with him, talking over the times when we started into the service together.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 177

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Thursday, December 26, 1861

By orders Company E boarded the cars this morning for Lookout Station farther on, about twelve miles from California. I bade my bunk-mate, James Fossett, goodby [sic] at the hospital, where he is confined with inflammatory rheumatism. His suffering is something intense, and he is unable to turn himself in bed, but I left him in the hands of a good nurse.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 26

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, December 9, 1861

We left the cars and marched up through town, where we were met by the Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, who turned out to receive us, presenting arms. They took us into camp about a mile southwest of town. Here we pitched our tents and for the first time went into camp.¹  I went on guard.

¹We had left our train standing on a siding east of the city alongside a fine piece of timber, the ground covered with a heavy sward of blue grass. Some of the boys thought the grass would be just the place upon which to lay the ponchos and sleep on them for the night, and they did so. But it was a mistake, for the ground was cold and damp and a number of the boys caught hard colds from which several of them never recovered. My bunkmate, James Fossett, was one of those, and with the cold taken that night and later, he was sent to the hospital suffering from inflammatory rheumatism. He never again returned to the company, being finally discharged for disability, on October 17, 1862.  — A. G. D.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 22

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Sunday, November 17, 1861

We had a pretty stiff introduction to our first night on a river boat, for it snowed in the night. My bunk-mate, James Fossett, and I lay down on the deck with our heads to the smoke-stack instead of our feet, in order to avoid lying with our heads down hill. By morning we were covered with snow, about two inches deep. At 8 a. m. we landed at Montrose, where two of our companies were transferred from our boat to another boat in order to lighten our boat for the purpose of passing through the rapids just above Keokuk. We reached Keokuk in safety about noon and went on shore to cook some provisions. At dusk we returned to the boats, our company being transferred to another boat which lay at Keokuk all night while the “Jennie Whipple” proceeded down the river.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 18

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Tuesday, October 1, 1861

We drew our cooking utensils and rations for five days. John Batderf, Joseph Tomlinson and I were put in as cooks for the company. We have company drill four hours a day. It seems that we are in camp this time for business. My bunk-mate is James M. Fossett, a brother of Thomas Fossett. James enlisted this time instead of his brother. He's a fine fellow for a bunk-mate.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 12