Kentucky.  Consequently, the movement of this army through Tennessee and Kentucky toward the Ohio River—­its objective points being Louisville and Cincinnati—­was now well defined, and had already rendered abortive General Buell’s designs on Chattanooga and East Tennessee.  Therefore extraordinary efforts on the part of the Government became necessary, and the concentration of National troops at Louisville and Cincinnati to meet the contingency of Bragg’s reaching those points was an obvious requirement.  These troops were drawn from all sections in the West where it was thought they could be spared, and among others I was ordered to conduct thither—­to Louisville or Cincinnati, as subsequent developments might demand—­my regiment, Hescock’s battery, the Second and Fifteenth Missouri, and the Thirty-sixth and Forty-fourth Illinois regiments of infantry, known as the “Pea Ridge Brigade.”  With this column I marched back to Corinth on the 6th of September, 1862, for the purpose of getting railroad transportation to Columbus, Kentucky.

At Corinth I met General Grant, who by this time had been reestablished in favor and command somewhat, General Halleck having departed for Washington to assume command of the army as General-in-Chief.  Before and during the activity which followed his reinstatement, General Grant had become familiar with my services through the transmission to Washington of information I had furnished concerning the enemy’s movements, and by reading reports of my fights and skirmishes in front, and he was loth to let me go.  Indeed, he expressed surprise at seeing me in Corinth, and said he had not expected me to go; he also plainly showed that he was much hurt at the inconsiderate way in which his command was being depleted.  Since I was of the opinion that the chief field of usefulness and opportunity was opening up in Kentucky, I did not wish him to retain me, which he might have done, and I impressed him with my conviction, somewhat emphatically, I fear.  Our conversation ended with my wish gratified.  I afterward learned that General Granger, whom General Grant did not fancy, had suggested that I should take to Cincinnati the main portion of Granger’s command—­the Pea Ridge Brigade—­as well as the Second Michigan Cavalry, of which I was still colonel.  We started that night, going by rail over the Mobile and Ohio road to Columbus, Ky., where we embarked on steamboats awaiting us.  These boats were five in number, and making one of them my flag-ship, expecting that we might come upon certain batteries reported to be located upon the Kentucky shore of the Ohio, I directed the rest to follow my lead.  Just before reaching Caseyville, the captain of a tin-clad gunboat that was patrolling the river brought me the information that the enemy was in strong force at Caseyville, and expressed a fear that my fleet could not pass his batteries.  Accepting the information as correct, I concluded to capture the place before