Recently, I
purchased a small lot of Civil War discharge papers that I plan to use as the
basis for small research projects in a couple of my classes. Among the lot was one
for a California soldier whose company (D) served mainly in the Pacific
Northwest. Marco B. Goodrich, a miner, enlisted on September 24, 1861 for a
three-year term and was discharged on October 15, 1864 at Fort Vancouver in the
Washington Territory. Other tidbits: Goodrich was originally from Rockingham,
New Hampshire, and was 36 years old when discharged meaning that he possibly participated
in the California Gold Rush.
