SEIZURE OF ARMS.

103 of the then existing nine Congressional districts. Volunteers accepted in these regiments were required to give pledge to tender their services to the War Department, if called for. As soon as arms could be furnished, each regiment was to be placed in encampments at Regimental Headquarters, in the Congressional district where it was raised, and remain in camp thirty days for drill and instruction, unless sooner demanded by the General Government. This act took effect May 2d, but the next day a new phase was given.

The President, without awaiting the assembling of Congress, made another call, this time for three years unless sooner discharged, but only for 42,032 men, of whom Illinois was to furnish six regiments. For some time the history is that of a persistent effort by the people to place enough men at once in the field, to march over all opposition to Richmond, Montgomery, and Charleston, and on the part of the War Department to carry on the "suppression of disturbances" with as little military array as possible, with the fewest number of men, and least possible war materiel. That there was loyal determination, we do not doubt, but the General-in-Chief was aged, and Mr. Stanton was not yet Secretary of War.

At this point the reader will excuse the insertion of an interesting episode which merits a place in history, both in view of the daring and tact of its performance and the advantages resulting.

We have heretofore spoken of the difficulty of arming the Cairo expedition, and the same difficulty was anticipated in reference to the ten regiments called, at first, into the State service. A messen ger was sent to Washington City to procure arms, who returned, in the latter part of April, with an order from the Secretary of War for 10,000 of the muskets in the arsenal at St. Louis. At that time the arsenal at St. Louis was closely watched by secession spies, and a mob of secessionists were ready to seize the arms the moment an attempt should be made to remove them. The question was, who will undertake the hazardous enterprise, and how can it be made. successful? Captain James H. Stokes, of Chicago, volunteered to undertake the perilous mission. Gov. Yates placed in his hands the requisiti of the Secretary of War for 10,000 muskets. Captain Stokes ceeded to St. Louis, and made his way as rapidly as possiarsenal. He found it surrounded by an immense mob,

ble to t

and the postern gates closed. His utmost efforts to penetrate the crowd were for a long time unavailing. The requisition was shown to the commander of the arsenal. Captain Lyon doubted the possi bility of executing it. He said the arsenal was surrounded by a thousand spies, and every movement was watched and reported to the headquarters of the Secessionists, who could throw an overpowering force upon them at any moment. Captain Stokes stated that every hour's delay was rendering the capture of the arsenal more certain, and that the arms must be moved to Illinois now or never. Major Callender agreed with him, and told him to take them at his own time and in his own way. This was Wednesday night, 24th of April.

Captain Stokes had a spy in the camp whom he met at intervals in the city. On Thursday he received information that Gov. Jackson had ordered two thousand armed men down from Jefferson City, whose movements could only contemplate a seizure of the arsenal by occupying the heights around it, and planting batteries thereon. The undertaking would have been an easy one. His friends had already planted one battery on the St. Louis levee, and another at Powder Point, a short distance below the arsenal. Captain Stokes immediately telegraphed to Alton to have the steamer City of Alton drop down the river to the arsenal, and to land there about midnight. He then returned to the arsenal, and commenced moving the boxes of guns, weighing some three hundred pounds each, down to the lower floor.

About 700 men were employed in the work. He then took 500 Kentucky flint-lock muskets, brought there to be altered, and sent them to be placed on a steamer as a blind to cover his real movements. The Secessionists seized the muskets at once, and raised a perfect shout of joy over the capture. A large portion of the outside crowd left the arsenal when this movement was executed; and Captain Lyon took the remainder, who were lying around as spies, and locked them up in the guard-house. About 11 o'clock the steamer City of Alton came along side, planks were run from the windows to the main deck, and the boxes were shoved down into the boat. When 10,000 were safely on board, Captain Stokes went to Captain Lyon and Major Callender, and urged them, by the most pressing appeals, to let him empty the arsenal. They told him to go

ahead and take whatever he wanted. Accordingly, he took 10,000 more muskets, 500 new rifle carbines, 500 revolvers, 110,000 musket cartridges, to say nothing of the cannon, and a large quantity of miscellaneous accoutrements, leaving only 7,000 muskets in the arsenal to arm the St. Louis volunteers.

When the whole were on board, about two o'clock on Friday morning, the order was given by the captain of the steamer to cast off. Judge of the consternation of all hands when it was found that the boat could not be moved. The arms had been piled in great quantities around the engines to protect them against the battery on the levee, and the great weight had fastened the bow of the boat firmly on a rock, which was crushing through the bottom at every turn of the wheels. A man of less nerve than Captain Stokes would have despaired. He called the men from the arsenal on board, and commenced moving the boxes to the stern. Fortunately, when about two hundred had been shifted, the boat fell away from the shore and floated in deep water.

"Straight "What

"Which way?" said Captain Mitchell, of the steamer. to Alton, in the regular channel," replied Captain Stokes. if we are attacked?" said Captain Mitchell. "Then we will fight," was the reply of Captain Stokes. "What if we are overpowered ?" said Mitchell. "Run the boat to the deepest part of the river and sink her," replied Stokes. "I'll do it," was the heroic answer of Mitchell; and away they went past the secession battery, past the entire St. Louis levee, and in the regular channel on to Alton, where they arrived at five o'clock in the morning.

When the boat touched the landing, Captain Stokes, fearing pursuit by some of the secession military companies by which the city of St. Louis was disgraced, ran to the market house and rang the fire-bell. The citizens came flocking pell-mell to the river, in all sorts of habiliments. Captain Stokes informed them as to the state of affairs, and pointed out the freight cars. Instantly, men, women, and children boarded the steamer, seized the freight, and clambered up the levee to the cars. Rich and poor tugged together with "might and main" for two hours, when the cargo was all deposited in the cars, and then the train moved off for Springfield amid the most enthusiastic cheers!

CHAPTER VI.

THE STATE AUTHORITIES AND WAR DEPARTMENT.

SIX REGIMENTS WANTED-Two HUNDRED COMPANIES OFFERED-SELECTION-REGI MENTAL HEAD-QUARTERS-CAVALRY DECLINED SECRETARIAL WET BLANKET-MESSENGER TO WASHINGTON-FOUR ADDITIONAL REGIMENTS ACCEPTED-RECLAIMING ENLISTED MEN THE COLONELS" FORAGING STOPPED”—“Go To YOUR Consul"CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN Governor YATES AND MR. CAMERON-AFTER BULL RUN AND WILSON'S CREEK-AT LAST-CAVALRY-TEN COMPANIES THIRTEEN REGIMENTS -ARTILLERY-INFANTRY REGIMENTS-ENLISTING AGAIN STOPPED-ILLINOIS AND SISTER STATES.

LLINOIS was permitted only to furnish six regiments, and two hundred companies were contending for acceptance, as zealously as ever knightly chieftains pressed for the privilege of leading the van. The task of selection was delicate and painful, but was promptly performed by the sixth of May, and the regiments ordered into camp in their respective Congressional districts, at the dates and places given below:

1st District, at Freeport, May 11th; 2d, at Dixon, May 9th; 3d, at Joliet, May 11th; 4th, at Peoria, May 13th; 5th, at Quincy, May 9th; 6th, at Jacksonville, May 11th; 7th, at Mattoon, May 9th; 8th, at Belleville, May 11th; 9th, at Anna, May 16th; and the regiment from the State at large, made up in part of regiments at Springfield, was ordered to rendezvous at Chicago June 13th.

The State authorities then tendered the War Department ten regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, and a battalion of artillery, and urged their acceptance. But the War Department was not yet ready to abandon all its ideas of a short and easy campaign, and possibly in some other departments, there was the dream of a war terminated in ninety days by brilliant charges of rhetoric.

The venerable chieftain, Lieut.-Gen. Scott, the hero of many a

THE WAR DEPARTMENT POLICY.

107

well-won field, was opposed to the employment of any considerable cavalry force. Its importance was to be demonstrated in the near future.

May 3d the Governor received this dispatch:

"Governor Yates:

"In reply to yours of the 2d, I am again obliged, at the solicitation of Lieut.General Scott, to decline acceptance of cavalry. Adjutant-General Thomas is clear in his opinion that they cannot be of service adequate to the expense incurred in accepting them.

On the 15th, the expectant regiments were tantalized by another dispatch indicating the supremacy of the minifying policy, and the fatal dream, to be broken by the thunders of Bull Run, that there was simply a disturbance to be quieted. This is the dispatch: "Governor Yates:

"The quots of troops from your State for three years, or during the war, under the second call of the President, is six regiments. * * As soon as

the regiments are ready, the mustering officer sent to your State will muster them into service, who has been instructed to do so."

Six only! A few days later came a letter, dated the 16th, from, what the people, heart-sore with their disappointments, began to consider the Peace Department, in which Mr. Cameron more effectually than ever before placed the wet blanket upon the popular enthusiasm. It ran thus:

"It is important to reduce rather than increase this number, and, in no event, to exceed it. Let me earnestly recommend to you, therefore, to call for no more than twelve regiments, of which six only are to serve for three years, or during the war, and if more are called for, to reduce the number by discharge."

A messenger was at once dispatched to Washington to urge upon the Department the importance of accepting the remaining four regiments. They were already in camp, and some of them had acquired much proficiency in drill, and to disband and send them home was to disgust them with the service, and to weaken public confidence in the wisdom and earnestness of the Government. The public saw that more men were needed, and it could see no reason why the same conclusion did not force itself upon the Government when the rebel flag was visible from the Executive Mansion.