General Prentiss made a great mistake on the above occasion, one that he would not have committed later in the war.  When I came to know him better, I regretted it much.  In consequence of this occurrence he was off duty in the field when the principal campaign at the West was going on, and his juniors received promotion while he was where none could be obtained.  He would have been next to myself in rank in the district of south-east Missouri, by virtue of his services in the Mexican war.  He was a brave and very earnest soldier.  No man in the service was more sincere in his devotion to the cause for which we were battling; none more ready to make sacrifices or risk life in it.

On the 4th of September I removed my headquarters to Cairo and found Colonel Richard Oglesby in command of the post.  We had never met, at least not to my knowledge.  After my promotion I had ordered my brigadier-general’s uniform from New York, but it had not yet arrived, so that I was in citizen’s dress.  The Colonel had his office full of people, mostly from the neighboring States of Missouri and Kentucky, making complaints or asking favors.  He evidently did not catch my name when I was presented, for on my taking a piece of paper from the table where he was seated and writing the order assuming command of the district of south-east Missouri, Colonel Richard J. Oglesby to command the post at Bird’s Point, and handing it to him, he put on an expression of surprise that looked a little as if he would like to have some one identify me.  But he surrendered the office without question.

The day after I assumed command at Cairo a man came to me who said he was a scout of General Fremont.  He reported that he had just come from Columbus, a point on the Mississippi twenty miles below on the Kentucky side, and that troops had started from there, or were about to start, to seize Paducah, at the mouth of the Tennessee.  There was no time for delay; I reported by telegraph to the department commander the information I had received, and added that I was taking steps to get off that night to be in advance of the enemy in securing that important point.  There was a large number of steamers lying at Cairo and a good many boatmen were staying in the town.  It was the work of only a few hours to get the boats manned, with coal aboard and steam up.  Troops were also designated to go aboard.  The distance from Cairo to Paducah is about forty-five miles.  I did not wish to get there before daylight of the 6th, and directed therefore that the boats should lie at anchor out in the stream until the time to start.  Not having received an answer to my first dispatch, I again telegraphed to department headquarters that I should start for Paducah that night unless I received further orders.  Hearing nothing, we started before midnight and arrived early the following morning, anticipating the enemy by probably not over six or eight hours.  It proved very fortunate that the expedition against Jeff.  Thompson had been broken up.  Had it not been, the enemy would have seized Paducah and fortified it, to our very great annoyance.