The Portland daily press., 1895-08-31
GRANT AT PILOT KNOB.
His Sudden Relief from Command and
His Restoration,

Lincoln Asks Stanton About ga Man
Named Grant, and Sends Him to Cairo
Gen. Thayer's Story of His First Meet
ing With the Silent Man-Plans Formed
by GRAFT in 1861 Were Carried Out In
1s63-Hitherto Unpublished Reminis-
cences of the Great General.
| The population of the Territory of
Nebraska, as shown by the national CEN
sus of 1860 was trife over $4,000 (now
million and quarter) when Presi-
dent Lincoln issued his proclamation
calling for 800, 900 men. / addressed let
ter to Gen. Simon Cameron, then Secre-
tary of War; asking that one regiment be
appointed to Nebraska. The request was
complied with. We then set to work to
raise the one regiment. We found 1T
difficult task to secure 1000 men out OF
population of 20, 900 but the task was ac-
complished the necessary number secured
the officers were chosen and the regiment
was mustered into the service OF the
| United States as the First Nebraska In
fantry. 1t was my good fortune to be
commissioned as its colonel
Gen. Freemon was then in command Of
the Western Department which embraced
Nebraska Territory with his headquarters
at St. Louis. Having procured arms for
| the regiment at Fort Lcavenworth,
then telegraphed Gen. Fremont that the
command was ready for the field and
| asked for orders to come t. the 'front.'. He
| was only too glad to get the regiment and
| telegl aphed me to come with it to ST..
| Louis forthwith.
| After had been there several days
Fremont sent for me and on my report
coed to Pilot Knob that night with the
regiment saying his scouts had just re-
| ported to him that the Confederate Gen
| eral Hardee (the author of Hardce's
| Tactics which had been in use in the
United States army and which we were
then using) was smarching northward
with 1000 men with the view of attacking
Pilot Knob which was then occupied by
Gen. Grant with three regiments and he
desired to reinforce Grant as rapidly as
possible. Pilot Knob (perhaps more
properly designated Ironton for that in
cluded the Town Pilot Knob the station)
was then the end of the Iron Mountain
railroad eighty miles south of st. Louis
and was regarded as one of the most i'm
portant outposts in defense of st. Louis.
If it should fall into the hands of the
enemy together with possession of the
railroad the safety of St. Louis would be
threatened.
A train of thirty mine cars was made
ready and the regiment was put aboard.
We left ST. Louis at midnight and arrived
at Pilot Knob in the early gray of the
morning. Inquiring for Gen. Grants
headquarters 1 was informed they were
on the outskirts of the village distant
about mile. Under guide made my
way to small implanted farmhouse in
front of which sentinel was pacing his
beat A body of troops was carnped in
field opposite. Asking for Grant the
sentinel pointed to the door of room
inside 1.-THE front door being open) and
said walk in" Entering found man
of medium stature with an ordinary felt
hat upon his head sitting at a small pine
table writing and smoking clay pipe.
He received me very pleasantly and asked
me to be seated while he finished writing
his communication which occupied some
fifteen minutes or more He then turned
to me and asked several questions as to
my regiment, it's discipline. strength etc.
and then he expressed some surprise that
the Territory of Nebraska, small in popu-
lation though large in geographical ex-
tent) 800 miles up the Missouri River on
the borders of civilization had been able
to raise regiment Of thousand men
and send it it to the front for the defense
of the country and he added How
strangely the course of the people OF the
South in plunging into fratricidal war
contrasts with the course of your people;
and when I read of officers of the army
and navy educated by the government at
West Point and Annapolis and under
solemn vow to be the defenders Of the
flag against all foe whatsoever domestic
or foreign throwing up their commissions
and taking service under the banner of
treason like 1C0 UuU uOU 1ih0 rap
Thomas) it fills me with Indignation. 1
have been educated by the government to
be it's defender and my life is freely
offered if the sacrifice is needed" He
was not only soldier in the highest de-
gree from military standpoint but was
imbued with the loftiest and purest
patriotism
Grant was dressed in suit of army
blue flannel very similar to the blue suits
worn nowadays by the members of the
Grand Army of the Republic without
any strap upon his shoulders or any sign
of rank about him The complete absence
of anything like show or ostentation was
readily noticeable. l took chair nearly
opposite the General and almost imme-
diately found myself scrutinizing that
impressive face, the firm-set, jaw his calm
and self-composed demeanor Every
thing about him indicated unusual firm
ness and self-reliance. The more I
studied him the more interested l became
Having now come under his command