Falling back on his old trade of carpenter, he brought "his saw and jack-plane again into play, fashioned companies, officers and non-commissioned officers out of maple blocks, and with these wooden-headed troops he thoroughly mastered the infantry tactics in his quarters." There was this advantage in his method, that his toy troops were thoroughly manageable.
The next step was to organize a school for the officers of his regiment, requiring thorough recitation in the tactics, while their teacher illustrated the maneuvers by the blocks he had prepared for his own instruction.

He was obliged to begin with the officers, that they might be qualified to assist him in instructing the men under their command.
He was then able to institute regimental, squad, skirmish, and bayonet drill, and kept his men at these exercises from six to eight hours daily till the Forty-second won the reputation of being the best drilled regiment to be found in Ohio.
My boy readers will be reminded of the way in which he taught geometry in one of his winter schools, preparing himself at night for the lesson of the next day.

I would like to call their attention also to the thoroughness with which he did everything.

Though previously ignorant of military tactics he instructed his regiment in them thoroughly, believing that whatever was worth doing at all was worth doing well.
He was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, but by the time his organization was completed he was promoted to the Colonelcy.
At last the preliminary work was completed.

His men, an undisciplined body when he took them in hand, had become trained soldiers, but as yet they had not received what Napoleon III.