to the south-east, on the Mississippi River; while the forces at Cape Girardeau had been ordered to move to Jacksonville, ten miles out towards Ironton; and troops at Cairo and Bird’s Point, at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, were to hold themselves in readiness to go down the Mississippi to Belmont, eighteen miles below, to be moved west from there when an officer should come to command them.  I was the officer who had been selected for this purpose.  Cairo was to become my headquarters when the expedition terminated.

In pursuance of my orders I established my temporary headquarters at Cape Girardeau and sent instructions to the commanding officer at Jackson, to inform me of the approach of General Prentiss from Ironton.  Hired wagons were kept moving night and day to take additional rations to Jackson, to supply the troops when they started from there.  Neither General Prentiss nor Colonel Marsh, who commanded at Jackson, knew their destination.  I drew up all the instructions for the contemplated move, and kept them in my pocket until I should hear of the junction of our troops at Jackson.  Two or three days after my arrival at Cape Girardeau, word came that General Prentiss was approaching that place (Jackson).  I started at once to meet him there and to give him his orders.  As I turned the first corner of a street after starting, I saw a column of cavalry passing the next street in front of me.  I turned and rode around the block the other way, so as to meet the head of the column.  I found there General Prentiss himself, with a large escort.  He had halted his troops at Jackson for the night, and had come on himself to Cape Girardeau, leaving orders for his command to follow him in the morning.  I gave the General his orders—­which stopped him at Jackson—­but he was very much aggrieved at being placed under another brigadier-general, particularly as he believed himself to be the senior.  He had been a brigadier, in command at Cairo, while I was mustering officer at Springfield without any rank.  But we were nominated at the same time for the United States service, and both our commissions bore date May 17th, 1861.  By virtue of my former army rank I was, by law, the senior.  General Prentiss failed to get orders to his troops to remain at Jackson, and the next morning early they were reported as approaching Cape Girardeau.  I then ordered the General very peremptorily to countermarch his command and take it back to Jackson.  He obeyed the order, but bade his command adieu when he got them to Jackson, and went to St. Louis and reported himself.  This broke up the expedition.  But little harm was done, as Jeff.  Thompson moved light and had no fixed place for even nominal headquarters.  He was as much at home in Arkansas as he was in Missouri and would keep out of the way of a superior force.  Prentiss was sent to another part of the State.