Letters of Ulysses S. Grant to His Father and His Youngest Sister | Page 9

would like to see every Union man in the
border slave states remain firm at his post. Every such man is equal to
an armed volunteer at this time in defence of his country. There is very
little that I can tell you that you do not get from the papers. Remember
me to all at home and write to me at once, to this place.
BROTHER ULYSSES.

[Grant is now assisting in the adjutant-general's office, as requested by
Governor Yates. In connection with the call for troops and the
enthusiastic response, he says elsewhere, "There was not a State in the
North of a million inhabitants that would not have furnished the entire
number faster than arms would have been supplied to them, if it had
been necessary."]
GENERAL HEAD-QUARTERS, STATE OF ILLINOIS,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE

Springfield, May 2nd, 1861.
DEAR FATHER:
Your letter of the 24th inst was received the same evening one I had
written to Mary was mailed. I would have answered earlier but for the
fact I had just written.
I am not a volunteer, and indeed could not be, now that I did not go into
the first Company raised in Galena. The call of the President was so
promptly responded to that only those companies that organized at once,
and telegraphed their application to come in, were received. All other
applications were filed, and there are enough of them to furnish Illinois
quota if the Army should be raised to 300,000 men. I am serving on the
Governor's staff at present at his request, but suppose I shall not be here
long.
I should have offered myself for the Colonelcy of one of the Regiments,
but I find all those places are wanted by politicians who are up to
log-rolling, and I do not care to be under such persons.
The war feeling is not abating here much, although hostilities appear
more remote than they did a few days ago. Three of the six Regiments
mustered in from this state are now at Cairo, and probably will be
reinforced with two others within a few days.
Galena has several more companies organized but only one of them
will be able to come in under a new call for ten regiments. Chicago has
raised companies enough nearly to fill all the first call. The Northern
feeling is so fully aroused that they will stop at no expense of money
and men to insure the success of their cause.
I presume the feeling is just as strong on the other side, but they are
infinitely in the minority in resources.
I have not heard from Galena since coming down here, but presume all
is moving along smoothly. My advice was not to urge collections from
such men as we knew to be good, and to make no efforts to sell in the

present distracted state of our currency. The money will not buy
Eastern exchange and is liable to become worse; I think that thirty days
from this we shall have specie, and the bills of good foreign banks to
do business on, and then will be the time to collect.
If Mary writes to me any time next week she may direct here to
ULYSSES.

[E.B. Washburn was member of Congress representing Galena. Pillow
was a Confederate general. He had served in the Mexican War, where
Grant had learned to know him.
Grant expresses in this letter the opinion that the war will be of short
duration. Many believed with him that the war would be over in thirty
days. He continued to think this until the battle of Shiloh. He believed
that there would have been no more battles in the West after the capture
of Fort Donelson if all the troops in that region had been under a single
commander who would have followed up that victory.]
Camp Yates, near Springfield, May 6th, 1861.
DEAR FATHER:
Your second letter, dated the first of May has just come to hand. I
commenced writing you a letter three or four days ago but was
interrupted so often that I did not finish it. I wrote one to Mary which
no doubt was duly received, but do not remember whether it answers
your questions or not.
At the time our first Galena company was raised I did not feel at liberty
to engage in hot haste, but took an active interest in drilling them, and
imparting all the instruction I could, and at the request of the members
of the company, and of Mr. Washburn, I came here for the purpose of
assisting for a short time in camp, and of offering, if necessary, my
services for the war. The next two days after my arrival it was rainy and
muddy so that the troops could