commander, or claimed they had, to raise, some of them, regiments; some battalions; some companies—­the officers to be commissioned according to the number of men they brought into the service.  There were recruiting stations all over town, with notices, rudely lettered on boards over the doors, announcing the arm of service and length of time for which recruits at that station would be received.  The law required all volunteers to serve for three years or the war.  But in Jefferson City in August, 1861, they were recruited for different periods and on different conditions; some were enlisted for six months, some for a year, some without any condition as to where they were to serve, others were not to be sent out of the State.  The recruits were principally men from regiments stationed there and already in the service, bound for three years if the war lasted that long.

The city was filled with Union fugitives who had been driven by guerilla bands to take refuge with the National troops.  They were in a deplorable condition and must have starved but for the support the government gave them.  They had generally made their escape with a team or two, sometimes a yoke of oxen with a mule or a horse in the lead.  A little bedding besides their clothing and some food had been thrown into the wagon.  All else of their worldly goods were abandoned and appropriated by their former neighbors; for the Union man in Missouri who staid at home during the rebellion, if he was not immediately under the protection of the National troops, was at perpetual war with his neighbors.  I stopped the recruiting service, and disposed the troops about the outskirts of the city so as to guard all approaches.  Order was soon restored.

I had been at Jefferson City but a few days when I was directed from department headquarters to fit out an expedition to Lexington, Booneville and Chillicothe, in order to take from the banks in those cities all the funds they had and send them to St. Louis.  The western army had not yet been supplied with transportation.  It became necessary therefore to press into the service teams belonging to sympathizers with the rebellion or to hire those of Union men.  This afforded an opportunity of giving employment to such of the refugees within our lines as had teams suitable for our purposes.  They accepted the service with alacrity.  As fast as troops could be got off they were moved west some twenty miles or more.  In seven or eight days from my assuming command at Jefferson City, I had all the troops, except a small garrison, at an advanced position and expected to join them myself the next day.