Thus a more prolonged detention occurred than I had at first anticipated.

Finally the news came that he had tendered his resignation and been granted a leave of absence for sixty days.

On July 17 he took his departure, but I continued in command till September 1, when Captain Philip A.Owen, of the Ninth Infantry, arrived and, taking charge, gave me my release.
From the day we received the news of the firing on Sumter until I started East, about the first of September, 1861, I was deeply solicitous as to the course of events, and though I felt confident that in the end the just cause of the Government must triumph, yet the thoroughly crystallized organization which the Southern Confederacy quickly exhibited disquieted me very much, for it alone was evidence that the Southern leaders had long anticipated the struggle and prepared for it.

It was very difficult to obtain direct intelligence of the progress of the war.

Most of the time we were in the depths of ignorance as to the true condition of affairs, and this tended to increase our anxiety.