[After taking charge of his new regiment, Grant was encamped a short time near Springfield.  A month was spent in drill and discipline; when the time came for the mustering into the national service of those who were willing to enter, the regiment went in as a body.  July 3d he was ordered to Quincy, Mo.  While here he was ordered to move against Colonel Tom Harris, a Confederate, who was encamped on a creek with high hills on both sides.  Grant approached the place with much uneasiness, expecting to find Harris and his men drawn up ready to meet him.  Instead, they had fled.  He realized then that Harris had had quite as much fear of him as he had had of Harris.  This experience was a valuable lesson to him; remembering it, he never again felt trepidation before encountering an enemy.]

East Quincy, Mo.,
July 13th, 1861.

Dear father: 

I have just received yours and Mary’s letters and really did not know that I had been so negligent as not to have written to you before.  I did write from Camp Yates, but since receiving yours remember that I did not get to finish it at the time, and have neglected it since.  The fact is that since I took command of this regiment I have had no spare time, and flatter myself, and believe I am sustained in my judgment by my officers and men, that I have done as much for the improvement and efficiency of this regiment as was ever done for a command in the same length of time.—­You will see that I am in Missouri.  Yesterday I went out as far as Palmyra and stationed my regiment along the railroad for the protection of the bridges, trestle work, etc.  The day before I sent a small command, all I could spare, to relieve Colonel Smith who was surrounded by secessionists.  He effected his relief, however, before they got there.  To-morrow I start for Monroe, where I shall fall in with Colonel Palmer and one company of horse and two pieces of artillery.  One regiment and a battalion of infantry will move on to Mexico, North Missouri road, and all of us together will try to nab the notorious Tom Harris with his 1200 secessionists.  His men are mounted, and I have but little faith in getting many of them.  The notorious Jim Green who was let off on his parole of honor but a few days ago, has gone towards them with a strong company well armed.  If he is caught it will prove bad work for him.

You no doubt saw from the papers that I started to march across the country for Quincy.  My men behaved admirably, and the lesson has been a good one for them.  They can now go into camp after a day’s march with as much promptness as veteran troops; they can strike their tents and be on the march with equal celerity.  At the Illinois River, I received a dispatch at eleven o’clock at night that a train of cars would arrive at half past eleven to move my regiment.  All the men were of course asleep, but I had the drum beaten, and in forty minutes every tent and all the baggage was at the water’s edge ready to put aboard the ferry to cross the river.