There I was overtaken by a dispatch saying that the destination of the regiment had been changed to Ironton, Missouri, and ordering me to halt where I was and await the arrival of a steamer which had been dispatched up the Illinois River to take the regiment to St.Louis.

The boat, when it did come, grounded on a sand-bar a few miles below where we were in camp.

We remained there several days waiting to have the boat get off the bar, but before this occurred news came that an Illinois regiment was surrounded by rebels at a point on the Hannibal and St.Joe Railroad some miles west of Palmyra, in Missouri, and I was ordered to proceed with all dispatch to their relief.

We took the cars and reached Quincy in a few hours.
When I left Galena for the last time to take command of the 21st regiment I took with me my oldest son, Frederick D.Grant, then a lad of eleven years of age.

On receiving the order to take rail for Quincy I wrote to Mrs.Grant, to relieve what I supposed would be her great anxiety for one so young going into danger, that I would send Fred home from Quincy by river.