They were assembled at the most convenient railroad centres in their respective congressional districts.
I detailed officers to muster in a portion of them, but mustered three in the southern part of the State myself.

One of these was to assemble at Belleville, some eighteen miles south-east of St.Louis.

When I got there I found that only one or two companies had arrived.

There was no probability of the regiment coming together under five days.

This gave me a few idle days which I concluded to spend in St.Louis.
There was a considerable force of State militia at Camp Jackson, on the outskirts of St.Louis, at the time.