Soldier Life Many Must Fall Author:BF Thomas, Peter Wilson With the approach of the 100th anniversary of the original 1907 publication of "Soldier Life", it became clear to many people that a reprint was in order. Copies could only be located in the hands of a few relatives who had been lucky enough to inherit one, or in the special collections of a few libraries. As rare books in fragile condition, the... more »se copies were unavailable for personal reading by many other family members seeking more information about their family's historical past, or by members of the general public seeking information about Iowans' participation in the Civil War. When two of these seekers met one afternoon at the Traer Museum and discussed the difficulty they had each experienced trying to obtain this special book, our project was born. These two determined people soon crossed paths with the grandson of BF Thomas' close friend Peter Wilson, whose letters had been out of print since World War Two. It became clear to all that the true histories of both of these men, and those of their companions, needed not only to be preserved, but to be made available again to the family and friends of the soldiers and to the interested members of the community at large. These two first-hand manuscripts each enhanced the other well, adding more depth to understanding the experience Iowa men and their families endured during the four years of War. Fully sponsored by the Traer Museum board, and assisted by generous contributions from family members of the ten "Wolf Creek Rangers", work was begun to research, collect, transcribe, and re-publish these two original documents, and enhance them with newly available material. This compilation book is dedicated to the memory of these ten men from the Wolf Creek area of Tama County who served in Company G, and all the other brave men who fought beside them to preserve our Nation. It is worth remembering however, that Company G was only one of ten companies in the 14th Iowa Infantry Regiment. Iowa had almost 50 other regiments of volunteer infantry, 11 of cavalry, and 4 of artillery. Other Iowa men signed on to serve in other States, or enlisted into the regular army, or in home militias to guard Iowa's borders. The men remembered here are but a fraction of the men who served from Tama County, which lost many more men than the few whose names and stories have been preserved in this small collection.« less