in command. On General Pope's return he found Colonel Grant in the head-quarters tent writing and transacting such business as was incident to his command. General Pope, with that brusqueness for which he was noted, said to Colonel Grant that he wished he would do his writing in his own tent and not intrude himself at head-quarters. The indignant Colonel left the tent without saying a word, but soon after remarked to a friend: "I may live to see the day when I shall outrank General Pope."

While in St. Louis with his regiment, Colonel Grant drove out to see his father-in-law that he might make arrangements for having his family taken care of. Mr. Dent was a positive Democrat and opposed to the war at that time. Colonel Grant stated mildly but firmly that he had been educated by the Federal Government, which was about to need the services of all its citizens, especially those trained to military duty, and hoped his wife and their children might find shelter in their father's house. Mr. Dent made no direct reply; but as Colonel Grant was about to leave, said: "Send Julia and the children here. As you make your bed, so you must lie.'"

On the 7th of August President Lincoln promoted Colonel Grant to the rank of brigadier general, his commission dating from May 17th, 1861. He stood number seventeen on a list of thirty-four nominations made by the President. The General knew nothing of his promotion for some days afterward, when a friend called his attention to the announcement of it in the newspapers. His friend, Representative Washburne, who had procured the promotion, had never spoken or written to him on the subject.

On the 1st of September, 1861, Major General Fre

mont, his immediate commander, created for him the
military district of Southeastern Missouri, with head-
quarters at Cairo, Illinois, where a number of newly
raised Illinois regiments were encamped under the com-
mand of the senior Colonel, Dick Oglesby, who had seen
service in the Mexican War, and who had procured from
St. Louis a full colonel's uniform, with a pair of resplen-
dent epaulets. One morning, as Colonel Oglesby was
receiving in martial state the reports of his subordi-
nate officers, a quiet man, some thirty-nine years of age,
entered, wearing a plain, undress uniform, without
even shoulder-straps, and a slouch-rimmed hat, on which
there was
no insignia of office. As he advanced
toward Colonel Oglesby with a letter in his hand, the
Colonel, who was then conversing with another officer,
said: "Sit down on that bench, my man; I am busy
now, but after awhile I will talk with you." It was nearly
two hours before the Colonel found leisure to call up his
unassuming visitor, but on opening the letter which he
presented, he found to his astonishment that it was an
order placing General Grant in command of the post.
"Are you General Grant?" he asked with surprise, and
received an affirmative answer. The General was placed
in command, and in a very short time he had the regi-
ments thoroughly organized, the deficiencies in their
equipments supplied, and had frequent and long com-
pany and battalion drills. Among the regiments was the
Thirty-first Illinois Volunteers, which had just been raised
by its Colonel, John A. Logan.

protect the country Mississippi, the TenNone of this region Confederate forces entered the State of

General Grant's orders were to near the junction of the Ohio, the nessee, and the Kentucky Rivers. had been formally occupied by the and the National forces had not

Kentucky, which at that time professed an armed neutrality. It was evident, however, that this neutrality would not long be respected by the Confederates, and General Grant informed General Fremont by wire that the Confederates had invaded Kentucky and that he was "nearly ready for an advance on Paducah should not a telegram arrive preventing the movement." Receiving no instructions, he left Cairo with two regiments of infantry and a battery of light artillery, embarked on steamboats and convoyed by two gunboats.

Paducah was seized without firing a gun, much to the chagrin of those of its inhabitants who sympathized with the Secessionists, and General Grant then returned to Cairo, where he found General Fremont's permission to take Paducah "if he felt strong enough."

New regiments of volunteers continued to arrive at Cairo, where General Grant's energy, perseverance, and military training accomplished wonders in organizing and instructing officers and men. Very few veterans of the Mexican War had re-entered the service, and General Grant found himself compelled to act as adjutant general, quartermaster, commissary, and officer of ordnance, teaching the regimental and company officers how to make the necessary requisitions. Unable to obtain an officer of the regular army as his adjutant general, he appointed John A. Rawlins, a self-educated Galena lawyer, who was a Northern Democrat, yet heartily sustained the War for the Union. An apt scholar, he soon became acquainted with the details of military organization, and was able to relieve General Grant from the direction of minor matters. He was at the head of the General's staff during the whole of his illustrious military career, and when Grant became President of the United States, Rawlins was appointed Secretary of War.

CHAPTER VII.

THE EATTLE OF BELMONT-COOLNESS OF GENERAL GRANT-GENERAL HALLECK PLACED IN COMMAND-PREPARATIONS FOR A SPRING CAMPAIGN-MOVEMENT WITH COMMODORE FOOTE'S IRONCLADS-INCLEMENT WEATHER-CAPTURE OF FORT HENRY-INVESTMENT OF FORT DONELSON-REPULSE OF THE FLOTILLA-SORTIE BY THE CONFEDERATES-VICTORY BY THE TROOPS—UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER -RESULTS OF THE CAPTURE-GENERAL GRANT PROMOTED BÝ LINCOLN AND SNURBED BY HALLECK.

E

ARLY in November, 1861, General Grant received orders from General Fremont to make a diver

sion against Belmont, to call back the Confederates from the interior of Missouri, where they were threatening the Union forces under Colonel Oglesby. Belmont was a small, unimportant town on the western bank of the Mississippi, some twenty miles below Cairo, under the guns of Columbus, on the opposite side of the river, which the Confederates had strongly fortified under the command of Major General Leonidas Polk, a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, who had early in life graduated from the Military Academy at West Point.

General Grant, taking with him nearly three thousand men, imperfectly disciplined and drilled, and armed with some of the worthless muskets imported by speculators from Europe, landed four miles above the Confederate camp at Belmont and moved through the woods to its rear. The enemy came out to meet him and a desperate encounter ensued, lasting four hours, during which

General Grant was in the thickest of the fight and had his horse shot under him. He finally drove the Confederates in great confusion to their camp, captured their artillery, and took several hundred prisoners. During the action the Union troops fought grandly, but victory disorganized them. Some of the officers, inspired by the occasion, began to make patriotic speeches, while the men sought for plunder in the captured camp. General Grant, seeing that the position could not be held, ordered, the camp to be set on fire, and succeeded in commencing his return march to the steamboats just as reinforcements sent from Columbus by General Polk reached the spot. One of Grant's staff-officers came riding up to him in dismay, exclaiming: "We are surrounded and will have to surrender!" "I guess not," remarked Grant, calmly. "If that is so, we must cut our way out as we cut our way in." The troops were inspired by their leader, and when Grant called out, "We have whipped them once.; I think we can do it again," they rallied, repulsed the enemy, and reached their steamers, taking with them two hundred prisoners, two field pieces, and a quantity of munitions of war. Grant was the last man to go on board the steamer, riding his horse over a narrow gang-plank under a heavy musketry fire. The Confederates claimed Belmont as a victory, but it demonstrated their weakness and the bravery of the Union recruits. General McClernand, who commanded a brigade, and who had a horse killed under him (as had one of his regimental commanders, Colonel Logan), said of General Grant in his official report: "The gallant conduct of his troops was stimulated by his presence and inspired by his example."

On the 12th of November, 1861, Major General Henry Wager Halleck, a graduate from West Point,