Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
Appointed Colonel of the 21st Illinois—Personnel of the Regiment—General Logan—March to Missouri—Movement Against Harris at Florida, Mo.—General Pope in Command—Stationed at Mexico, Mo. explained
Grant recounts his appointment as colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry, his initial anxieties about leading troops into battle, and his first encounter with Confederate forces under Colonel Thomas Harris.
What happens
Grant recounts his appointment as colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry, his initial anxieties about leading troops into battle, and his first encounter with Confederate forces under Colonel Thomas Harris. He describes the march to Missouri, the discipline of his regiment, and his assignment to command a sub-district under General John Pope. The chapter also introduces John A. McClernand and John A. Logan, and reflects on Grant's personal growth in overcoming fear of the enemy.
Themes in this chapter
Personal Integrity and Self-Reliance
Grant studies Hardee's tactics on his own, relying on common sense and his West Point foundation to command effectively without revealing his lack of prior study.
The Horrors and Cost of War
Grant describes his intense fear before his first confrontation with Harris, and the lesson that the enemy shares the same fear—a key insight into the psychological cost of war.
Leadership and Humility
Grant imposes discipline on his regiment, prohibits soldiers from entering private homes without invitation, and earns the respect of local citizens through restraint and order.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Narrator and protagonist; appointed colonel of the 21st Illinois; describes his fear before battle and the lesson learned about mutual fear.
- John A. Logan
Democratic Congressman from southern Illinois; introduced to Grant at the state capital; noted for his popularity and eventual loyalty to the Union.
- John A. McClernand
Democratic Congressman from Illinois; introduced to Grant alongside Logan; had taken strong early stands for the Union.
- John Pope
Commanding the district of Missouri between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers; Grant reports to him and is assigned command of a sub-district at Mexico, Missouri.
- John M. Palmer
Colonel of the 13th Illinois; senior to Grant at Salt River; commanded both regiments while the bridge was being rebuilt.
- Abraham Lincoln
President; issued the second call for 300,000 troops for three years or the war, which brought state regiments into federal service.
- Richard Yates
Governor of Illinois; appointed Grant colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry while Grant was absent from the state capital.
Key passages
“My heart kept getting higher and higher until it felt to me as though it was in my throat. I would have given anything then to have been back in Illinois, but I had not the moral courage to halt and consider what to do; I kept right on.”
Grant's fear mounted as he approached the suspected enemy camp, but he forced himself to continue rather than turn back.
Illustrates Grant's internal struggle with fear and his determination to press forward despite it.
“It occurred to me at once that Harris had been as much afraid of me as I had been of him. This was a view of the question I had never taken before; but it was one I never forgot afterwards.”
Grant realized that his enemy was equally frightened, a lesson that stayed with him throughout the war.
Key turning point in Grant's psychological approach to combat.
“I at once published orders prohibiting the soldiers from going into private houses unless invited by the inhabitants, and from appropriating private property to their own or to government uses. The people were no longer molested or made afraid.”
Grant issued orders forbidding soldiers from entering homes without permission or taking property, which restored the trust of local civilians.
Demonstrates Grant's emphasis on discipline and respect for civilians.
