Your letter of the 26th is just received. As to the relative rank of
officers (brigadiers) you are right but in all the rest you are
laboring under an erroneous impression. There has been no move made
affecting me which has not been complimentary rather than otherwise,
though calculated to keep me laboriously employed. I was sent to
Ironton when the place was weak and threatened with a superior force,
and as soon as it was rendered secure I was ordered to Jefferson
City, another point threatened. I was left there but a week when
orders were sent ordering me to this point, putting me in command
of all the forces in S.E. Missouri, South Illinois and everything
that can operate here. All I fear is that too much may be expected
of me. My duties will absorb my entire attention, and I shall try
not to disappoint the good people of Illinois, who, I learn from
every quarter, express an enthusiasm for me that was wholly
unexpected.--General Prentiss is not a particular favorite as you
suspect, nor is there a prejudice against him.
I think all the brigadiers are satisfied with the rank assigned them
by the President.
The brigadiers are not all up north as you suspect. I know of but one,
Hurlbut, who is there. General McClernand is at Cairo, Prentiss at
Ironton, and I presume Curtis will be with the command under me.
General Hunter is at Chicago, but I look upon that as temporary. I
have not heard of any command being assigned him as yet, and do not
know that he has sufficiently recovered from wounds received in the
late engagements in Virginia to take the field. Hunter will prove
himself a fine officer.
The letters spoken of by you have not all been received. One sent to
Galena I got and answered. My promise to write to you every two weeks
has been complied with, and however busy I may be I shall continue to
write if it is but a line.
I am now probably done shifting commands so often, this being the
fourth in as many weeks.
Your suspicions as to my being neglected are entirely unfounded, for I
know it was the intention to give me a brigade if I had not been
promoted. Application would have been made to have me assigned
arbitrarily as senior colonel from Illinois for the purpose.
I want to hear from you or Mary often. I sent you the _Daily
Democrat_, thinking that would keep you better posted in this section
than I could, and it is a cheap correspondent.
I wrote to you that I should like to have Mary go out to Galena and
stay some time. I do not want Julia to leave Galena, being anxious to
retain my residence after the many kindnesses received from the people
there.
I only arrived at this place last night and cannot tell you much about
things here. The people however are generally reported to be
secessionists.