I only became acquainted at the meeting when the first company of Galena volunteers was raised.  Foulk I had known in St. Louis when I was a citizen of that city.  I had been three years at West Point with Pope and had served with him a short time during the Mexican war, under General Taylor.  I saw a good deal of him during my service with the State.  On one occasion he said to me that I ought to go into the United States service.  I told him I intended to do so if there was a war.  He spoke of his acquaintance with the public men of the State, and said he could get them to recommend me for a position and that he would do all he could for me.  I declined to receive endorsement for permission to fight for my country.

Going home for a day or two soon after this conversation with General Pope, I wrote from Galena the following letter to the Adjutant-General of the Army.

Galena, Illinois, May 24, 1861.

Col.  L. Thomas Adjt.  Gen. U. S. A., Washington, D. C.

Sir:—­Having served for fifteen years in the regular army, including four years at West Point, and feeling it the duty of every one who has been educated at the Government expense to offer their services for the support of that Government, I have the honor, very respectfully, to tender my services, until the close of the war, in such capacity as may be offered.  I would say, in view of my present age and length of service, I feel myself competent to command a regiment, if the President, in his judgment, should see fit to intrust one to me.

Since the first call of the President I have been serving on the staff of the Governor of this State, rendering such aid as I could in the organization of our State militia, and am still engaged in that capacity.  A letter addressed to me at Springfield, Illinois, will reach me.

I am very respectfully, Your obt. svt., U. S. Grant.

This letter failed to elicit an answer from the Adjutant-General of the Army.  I presume it was hardly read by him, and certainly it could not have been submitted to higher authority.  Subsequent to the war General Badeau having heard of this letter applied to the War Department for a copy of it.  The letter could not be found and no one recollected ever having seen it.  I took no copy when it was written.  Long after the application of General Badeau, General Townsend, who had become Adjutant-General of the Army, while packing up papers preparatory to the removal of his office, found this letter in some out-of-the-way place.  It had not been destroyed, but it had not been regularly filed away.

I felt some hesitation in suggesting rank as high as the colonelcy of a regiment, feeling somewhat doubtful whether I would be equal to the position.  But I had seen nearly every colonel who had been mustered in from the State of Illinois, and some from Indiana, and felt that if they could command a regiment properly, and with credit, I could also.