1862.

"To Captain James H. Kidd:

"You are hereby authorized to raise a company of mounted riflemen for
this regiment on condition that you raise them within fifteen days
from this date, and report with them at the rendezvous in this city.

"F.W. KELLOGG, Colonel Commanding."

My surprise and gratification can better be imagined than described. To
say that I was delighted would be putting it mildly.

But the document with the Congressman's signature attached to it was not
very much of itself. I was a captain in name only. There was no
"company" and would not be unless a minimum of seventy-eight men were
recruited, and at the end of fifteen days the appointment would expire
by limitation. On the original document which has been carefully
preserved appears the following endorsement in Mr. Kellogg's
handwriting:

"The time is extended for raising this company until Tuesday of next
week."

The fifteen days expired on Saturday and Mr. Kellogg kindly gave us four
days extra time to get into camp.

It was, however, no easy task to get the requisite number of men in the
time allowed, after so many men had been recruited for other regiments.
The territory which we could draw upon for volunteers had been very
thoroughly canvassed, in an effort to fill the quota of the state under
Lincoln's last call. But it was less difficult to raise men for cavalry
than for infantry and I was hopeful of succeeding. I soon learned that
three others had received appointments for commissions in the same
troop--one first, one second, and one supernumerary second lieutenant.
The same conditions were imposed upon them. Thus, there were four of us
whose commissions hinged upon getting a minimum number of men into camp
within fifteen days.

The man designated for first lieutenant was Edward L. Craw. Some of
Craw's friends thought he ought to be the captain, as he was a much
older man than myself, though he had no knowledge of tactics and was in
every sense a novice in military affairs. In a few days word came that
Mr. Kellogg wanted to see me. He had been told that I was a "beardless
boy" and he professed to want men for his captains. My friends advised
me not to go--to be too busy recruiting, in fact--and I followed their
advice. Had I gone, the "colonel" would, doubtless, have persuaded me to
change with Craw, since I would have been more than satisfied to take
second place, not having too high an opinion of my des