thousand strong, for three years' service. Grant's first concern was to drill and discipline his regiment, which soon became marked for its excellent order. Removing them from their place of organization, Matoon, Illinois, to Caseyville, he superintended their drill; and, not long after, he marched them, in default of railroad transportation, one hundred and twenty miles, to Quincy, on the Mississippi, which was supposed to be in danger. Thence he moved, under orders, to defend the line of the Hannibal and Hudson Railroad, from Hannibal and Quincy, on the Mississippi, to St. Joseph; and here coming into contact with other regiments, his military knowledge and experience pointed to him, although the youngest colonel, as the commander of the combined forces. As acting brigadier-general of this force, his headquarters, on the 31st of July, 1861, were at Mexico, Missouri. We need not detail the marches of Grant's regiments in the "District of Northern Missouri" - as General Pope's command was called-to Pilot Knob, and Ironton, and Jefferson City, to defend the river against the projected attacks of Jeff. Thompson. In August he received his commission as brigadiergeneral of volunteers, to date from May 17. He was seventeenth in a list of thirty-four original appointments of that date. He was ordered to proceed to Cairo, and there, with two brigades, he took command of the important strategic territory entitled "The District of Southeast Missouri," including both banks of the Mississippi River, from Cape Girardeau to New Madrid, and on the Ohio it included the whole of Western Kentucky. A glance at the map discloses the strategic importance of Cairo, as a base of operations for a southern advance, and of vital importance in the line of defence for the extensive and rich country lying between the Ohio and the Mississippi. It is especially valuable for river expeditions, the transportation of supplies, and the equipment of a gunboat fleet. The parallel flow of the Tennessee and Cumberland northward into the Ohio also includes a most important portion of West Kentucky, which Grant saw at a glance was to become the scene of immediate hostilities.

Grant was now in his element; he not only accomplished with alacrity what he was ordered to do, but he made work for his troops. He at once displayed that energy which he has never abated for an instant during the war.

The attempted and absurd neutrality of Kentucky was onesided; it was to keep Union troops away and let rebels attack. The latter were not slow in availing themselves of this privilege. Seizing, first Hickman, and then Columbus and Bowling Green, and fortifying the Tennessee at Fort Henry, and the Cumberland at Fort Donelson, they established a first strong line from the Mississippi to Virginia in the "neutral" State of Kentucky.† Grant followed their lead in sending, on the 6th of September, a strong force to Paducah, where the Tennessee empties into the Ohio, under command of General C. F. Smith, much to the chagrin of the secessionists there, who were awaiting a rebel force. In the same manner he occupied Smithland, near the mouth of the Cumberland, and thus made two vital moves in the game in which he was to cry checkmate at Fort Donelson. These points were also valuable to the rebels as gateways of supplies. From the places now occupied, Grant at once busied himself in making numerous reconnoissances in every direction, until at length he was ready to try his "'prentice hand" upon the rebels. When all was ready, he moved down the river to Belmont, opposite Columbus, and there the first battle took place. The origin of that movement may be thus briefly stated.

General Fremont, under date November 1, 1861, directed Grant to make demonstrations "along both sides of the river

* And yet this neutrality was reproached by the rebels. See Pollard's "First Year of the War," p. 183.

On the 5th of September, Grant informed Fremont by telegram that the rebels had invaded the State, and that he was "nearly ready for Paducah, should not a telegram arrive preventing the movement." Receiving no word from Fremont, he left Cairo on the night of the 5th, and occupied Paducah on the morning of the 6th. On the same day he published a clear, patriotic, and humane proclamation to the citizens.

towards Charleston, Norfolk, and Blandville." On the 2d, he was thus informed by Fremont: "Jeff. Thompson is at Indian's Ford of the St. François River, twenty-five miles below Greenville, with about three thousand men. Colonel Carlin has started with a force from Pilot Knob. Send a force from Cape Girardeau and Bird's Point to assist Carlin in driving Thompson into Arkansas." Incident to these instructions, Grant sent Colonel Oglesby, with the Eighth Illinois, four companies of the Eleventh Illinois, the whole of the Eighteenth and Twenty-ninth, and three companies of cavalry, to go to Commerce, Missouri, thence to Sikeston, and pursue Jeff. Thompson (in conjunction with a force from Ironton). On the 5th he was informed that Polk was re-enforcing Price's army from Columbus. In this complication of circumstances he determined to threaten Columbus and attack Belmont. Oglesby was deflected to New Madrid, and Colonel W. H. L. Wallace sent to re-enforce him. The object of the attack then was to cut off the rebel line in Kentucky from Price's forces in Missouri, and also to keep Polk from interfering with the detachments Grant had sent out in pursuit of Jeff. Thompson.

Grant directed General C. F. Smith to make a demonstration upon Columbus from Paducah, and then himself sent down a small force on the Kentucky side to Ellicott's Mills, about twelve miles from Columbus. Having taken these precautions to deceive the enemy, he embarked his expeditionary force at Cairo on the 6th of November-three thousand one hundred and fourteen men,* chiefly Illinois volunteers, with the Seventh Iowa, upon four boats, convoyed by the gunboats Lexington, Captain Stembel, and Tyler, Captain Walker, the gunboats in advance. Moving with due caution, they reached Island No. 1, eleven miles above Columbus, that night, and lay against the Kentucky shore. It was then he heard that Polk was crossing troops to Belmont to cut off Oglesby. The

* McClernand's brigade (Twenty-seventh, Thirtieth, Thirty-first Illinois) with cavalry. Dougherty's brigade (Twenty-second Illinois, Seventh Iowa).-Grant's Revised Report, June 26, 1865.

next morning he moved to Hunter's Point, two miles above Belmont, on the Missouri shore, where his troops were landed and formed into column of attack.

The rebel forces at Columbus were commanded by MajorGeneral Leonidas Polk, a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the purity of whose lawn is forever stained with blood drawn by carnal weapons; a weak but brave man, but one whose West Point education was at least worth something to the rebel cause. Polk had posted a small force on the right bank, to keep open his communications; and, as soon as he had wind of Grant's movement, and Smith's demonstration to Maysfield, he expected an attack on Columbus, or at least in Kentucky. Indeed, until the close of the engagement, he apprehended an attack in his rear.

Grant's movement took him somewhat by surprise. From the point of debarkation, one battalion having been left as a reserve near the transports, the troops were marched by flank towards Belmont, and drawn up in line of battle about a mile from Belmont. Skirmishers were then thrown forward, who soon encountered Colonel Tappan's rebel force, consisting of three regiments, re-enforced by Pillow with three more, and the general engagement took place. Deploying his entire force as skirmishers, Grant drove the enemy back, fighting from tree to tree, for about two miles, until he reached the intrenched camp protected by slashed timber as an abatis. In rear of this, opposing our left, were the Thirteenth Arkansas and the Ninth Tennessee; and on the right was Beltzhoover's battery of seven guns and Colonel Wright's regiment. This did not check our impetuous advance. Charging over the obstacle with great ardor, our men drove the enemy to the river-bank, and many of them into their transports, and we were in possession of every thing.* But as Belmont is on low ground, en

* The rebel excuse is, that they were out of ammunition; good, but not new. Pollard says: "In this movement Pillow's line was more or less broken, and his corps mingled together, so that when they reached the river-bank they had the appearance of a mass of men, rather than an organized corps."-First Year, p. 201.

tirely commanded by the guns from Columbus, it was manifest that the ground thus gained could not be held, and therefore Grant fired the encampment, burning tents, blankets, and stores, and began his return movement with captured artillery, prisoners, and horses. But the end of our success on the field had been attained. Major-General Polk, who was now quite alive to the situation, directed his heaviest guns from Columbus upon our troops. He had already sent over three* regiments in one body, under General Pillow; these were supported by three others, under General Cheatham, which landed some distance above, between our soldiers and the boats. Further to crush Grant's small force, the bishop, although sadly afraid of an attack on his rear at Columbus, took over two additional regiments in person to aid Pillow's panicstricken force. But by this time Grant was in retreat to his boats, and only faced to the right and rear to punish Cheatham's flankers, and a portion of Pillow's under Colonel Marks, who had marched up the river-bank, and endeavored to prevent his return to the boats. In that retreat we suffered very severely, our troops being hard pressed by overpowering numbers. At five in the afternoon Grant's force had reembarked, and were on their way to Cairo, while the rebels, checked by the fire of our gunboats, glared like baffled tigers, and went back to their smoking camp. We had left two caissons, but had brought off two guns of Beltzhoover's battery. We had eighty-five killed, three hundred and one (many slightly) wounded, and about ninety-nine missing. The gunboats, whose duty was primarily to cover the landing and protect the transports, and also, as far as possible, to engage the Columbus batteries, performed their service to General Grant's entire satisfaction. The Confederate loss was six hundred and thirty-two. Both parties claimed a victory, but on the recovery of the field and the pursuit of our retiring columns the rebels base their claims to a success,

* Pollard says four regiments, but we give the rebels the benefit of clergy, as the bishop says three.

Pollard, "First Year of the War."