Reveille in Washington, 1860 - 1865 by Margaret Leech

[David Lockmiller]

(11-23-2017 05:27 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(11-22-2017 10:52 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  Captain Grant, as he was called, assisted in drilling the Galena volunteers, but was not elected an officer of the company. He followed the boys to Springfield in his civilian clothes, and got a clerkship at the State capital. Having received his education at the Government's expense, he felt it his duty to offer his services, but the letter he wrote to Washington, rather diffidently suggesting that he was fit to command a regiment, was never answered. At last, he was given a chance in Illinois. A regiment of mutinous volunteers behaved so badly that they drove their colonel to resign, and Grant was put in his place. He soon whipped the regiment into shape. His former neighbor, Congressman Washburne, got him a brigadier's commission. The "unconditional surrender" at Fort Donelson made him a national figure.

There is a marker which commemorates Grant's time in Springfield. It is now located on private property. Over the years the marker has degraded and the inscription is no longer readable. Originally the inscription on the monument read, "Camp Yates, 1861. Here General Ulysses S. Grant Began His Civil War Career."

Roger, you find the most obscure facts about Lincoln history (even it is about only Grant). It's truly wonderful.

I am rather surprised that nobody made a comment on the observation that I made at the beginning of my post: "He [Grant] came very close to not being a factor at all in the American Civil War and was saved in this respect by an undisciplined regiment of Illinois volunteers."

"For Want of a Nail" is a proverb, having numerous variations over several centuries, reminding that seemingly unimportant acts or omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences, . . . or just the opposite in terms of beneficial outcome.