〃　afterward　changed　to　〃Missouri；〃　Major…　General　W。　T。　Sherman　to　command；　with；　headquarters　at　St。　Louis；　to　embrace　the　Departments　of　the　Ohio；　Missouri；　and　Arkansas。
  This　territorial　command　included　the　States　north　of　the　Ohio　River；　and　the　States　and　Territories　north　of　Texas；　as　far　west　as　the　Rocky　Mountains；　including　Montana；　Utah；　and　New　Mexico；　but　the　part　east　of　the　Mississippi　was　soon　transferred　to　another　division。　　The　department　commanders　were　General　E。　O。　C。　Ord；　at　Detroit；　General　John　Pope；　at　Fort　Leavenworth；　and　General　J。　J。　Reynolds；　at　Little　Rock；　but　these　also　were　soon　changed。　　I　at　once　assumed　command；　and　ordered　my　staff　and　headquarters　from　Washington　to　St。　Louis；　Missouri；　going　there　in　person　on　the　16th　of　July。
  My　thoughts　and　feelings　at　once　reverted　to　the　construction　of　the　great　Pacific　Railway；　which　had　been　chartered　by　Congress　in　the　midst　of　war；　and　was　then　in　progress。　　I　put　myself　in　communication　with　the　parties　engaged　in　the　work；　visiting　them　in　person；　and　assured　them　that　I　would　afford　them　all　possible　assistance　and　encouragement。　　Dr。　Durant；　the　leading　man　of　the　Union　Pacific；　seemed　to　me　a　person　of　ardent　nature；　of　great　ability　and　energy；　enthusiastic　in　his　undertaking；　and　determined　to　build　the　road　from　Omaha　to　San　Francisco。　　He　had　an　able　corps　of　assistants；　collecting　materials；　letting　out　contracts　for　ties；　grading；　etc。；　and　I　attended　the　celebration　of　the　first　completed　division　of　sixteen　and　a　half　miles；　from　Omaha　to　Papillon。　　When　the　orators　spoke　so　confidently　of　the　determination　to　build　two　thousand　miles　of　railway　across　the　plains；　mountains；　and　desert；　devoid　of　timber；　with　no　population；　but　on　the　contrary　raided　by　the　bold　and　bloody　Sioux　and　Cheyennes；　who　had　almost　successfully　defied　our　power　for　half　a　century；　I　was　disposed　to　treat　it　jocularly；　because　I　could　not　help　recall　our　California　experience　of　1855…'56；　when　we　celebrated　the　completion　of　twenty…two　and　a　half　miles　of　the　same　road　eastward　of　Sacramento；　on　which　occasion　Edward　Baker　had　electrified　us　by　his　unequalled　oratory；　painting　the　glorious　things　which　would　result　from　uniting　the　Western　coast　with　the　East　by　bands　of　iron。　　Baker　then；　with　a　poet's　imagination；　saw　the　vision　of　the　mighty　future；　but　not　the　gulf　which　meantime　was　destined　to　swallow　up　half　a　million　of　the　brightest　and　best　youth　of　our　land；　and　that　he　himself　would　be　one　of　the　first　victims　far　away　on　the　banks　of　the　Potomac　（he　was　killed　in　battle　at　Balls　Bluff；　October　21；　1861）。
  The　Kansas　Pacific　was　designed　to　unite　with　the　main　branch　about　the　100　deg。　meridian；　near　Fort　Kearney。　　Mr。　Shoemaker　was　its　general　superintendent　and　building　contractor；　and　this　branch　in　1865　was　finished　about　forty　miles　to　a　point　near　Lawrence；　Kansas。　　I　may　not　be　able　to　refer　to　these　roads　again　except　incidentally；　and　will；　therefore；　record　here　that　the　location　of　this　branch　afterward　was　changed　from　the　Republican　to　the　Smoky　Hill　Fork　of　the　Kansas　River；　and　is　now　the　main　line　to　Denver。　The　Union　and　Central　Railroads　from　the　beginning　were　pushed　with　a　skill；　vigor；　and　courage　which　always　commanded　my　admiration；　the　two　meeting　at　Promontory　Point；　Utah；　July　15；　1869；　and　in　my　judgment　constitute　one　of　the　greatest　and　most　beneficent　achievements　of　man　on　earth。
  The　construction　of　the　Union　Pacific　Railroad　was　deemed　so　important　that　the　President；　at　my　suggestion；　constituted　on　the　5th　of　March；　1866；　the　new　Department　of　the　Platte；　General　P。　St。　George　Cooke　commanding；　succeeded　by　General　C。　C。　Augur；　headquarters　at　Omaha；　with　orders　to　give　ample　protection　to　the　working…parties；　and　to　afford　every　possible　assistance　in　the　construction　of　the　road；　and　subsequently　in　like　manner　the　Department　of　Dakota　was　constituted；　General　A。　H。　Terry　commanding；　with　headquarters　at　St。　Paul；　to　give　similar　protection　and　encouragement　to　the　Northern　Pacific　Railroad。　These　departments；　with　changed　commanders；　have　continued　up　to　the　present　day；　and　have　fulfilled　perfectly　the　uses　for　which　they　were　designed。
  During　the　years　1865　and　1866　the　great　plains　remained　almost　in　a　state　of　nature；　being　the　pasture…fields　of　about　ten　million　buffalo；　deer；　elk；　and　antelope；　and　were　in　full　possession　of　the　Sioux；　Cheyennes；　Arapahoes；　and　Kiowas；　a　race　of　bold　Indians；　who　saw　plainly　that　the　construction　of　two　parallel　railroads　right　through　their　country　would　prove　destructive　to　the　game　on　which　they　subsisted；　and　consequently　fatal　to　themselves。
  The　troops　were　posted　to　the　best　advantage　to　protect　the　parties　engaged　in　building　these　roads；　and　in　person　I　reconnoitred　well　to　the　front；　traversing　the　buffalo　regions　from　south　to　north；　and　from　east　to　west；　often　with　a　very　small　escort；　mingling　with　the　Indians　whenever　safe；　and　thereby　gained　personal　knowledge　of　matters　which　enabled　me　to　use　the　troops　to　the　best　advantage。　　I　am　sure　that　without　the　courage　and　activity　of　the　department　commanders　with　the　small　bodies　of　regular　troops　on　the　plains　during　the　years　1866'69；　the　Pacific　Railroads　could　not　have　been　built；　but　once　built　and　in　full　operation　the　fate　of　the　buffalo　and　Indian　was　settled　for　all　time　to　come。
  At　the　close　of　the　civil　war　there　were　one　million　five　hundred　and　sixteen　names　on　the　muster…rolls；　of　which　seven　hundred　and　ninetyseven　thousand　eight　hundred　and　seven　were　present；　and　two　hundred　and　two　thousand　seven　hundred　and　nine　absent；　of　which　twenty…two　thousand　nine　hundred　and　twenty…nine　were　regulars；　the　others　were　volunteers；　colored　troops；　and　veteran　reserves。　　The　regulars　consisted　of　six　regiments　of　cavalry；　five　of　artillery；　and　nineteen　of　infantry。　　By　the　act　of　July　28；　1866；　the　peace　establishment　was　fixed　at　one　general　（Grant）；　one　lieutenant…　general　（Sherman）；　five　major…generals　（Halleck；　Meade；　Sheridan；　Thomas；　and　Hancock）；　ten　brigadiers　（McDowell；　Cooke；　Pope；　Hooker；　Schofield；　Howard；　Terry；　Ord；　Canby；　and　Rousseau）；　ten　regiments　of　cavalry；　five　of　artillery；　and　forty…five　of　infantry；　admitting　of　an　aggregate　force　of　fifty…four　thousand　six　hundred　and　forty…one　men。
  All　others　were　mustered　out；　and　thus　were　remanded　to　their　homes　nearly　a　million　of　strong；　vigorous　men　who　had　imbibed　the　somewhat　erratic　habits　of　the　soldier；　these　were　of　every　profession　and　trade　in　life；　who；　on　regaining　their　homes；　found　their　places　occupied　by　others；　that　their　friends　and　neighbors　were　different；　and　that　they　themselves　had　changed。　　They　naturally　looked　for　new　homes　to　the　great　West；　to　the　new　Territories　and　States　as　far　as　the　Pacific　coast；　and　we　realize　to…day　that　the　vigorous　men　who　control　Kansas；　Nebraska；　Dakota；　Montana；　Colorado；　etc。；　etc。；　were　soldiers　of　the　civil　war。　These　men　flocked　to　the　plains；　and　were　rather　stimulated　than　retarded　by　the　danger　of　an　Indian　war。　　This　was　another　potent　agency　in　producing　the　result　we　enjoy　to…day；　in　having　in　so　short　a　time　replaced　the　wild　buffaloes　by　more　numerous　herds　of　tame　cattle；　and　by　substituting　for　the　useless　Indians　the　intelligent　owners　of　productive　farms　and　cattle…ranches。
  While　these　great　changes　were　being　wrought　at　the　West；　in　the　East　politics　had　resumed　full　sway；　and　all　the　methods　of　anti…war　times　had　been　renewed。　　President　Johnson　had　differed　with　his　party　as　to　the　best　method　of　reconstructing　the　State　governments　of　the　South；　which　had　been　destroyed　and　impoverished　by　the　war；　and　the　press　began　to　agitate　the　question　of　the　next　President。　　Of　course；　all　Union　men　naturally　turned　to　General　Grant；　and　the　result　was　jealousy　of　him　by　the　personal　friends　of　President　Johnson　and　some　of　his　cabinet。　　Mr。　Johnson　always　seemed　very　patriotic　and　friendly；　and　I　believed　him　honest　and　sincere　in　his　declared　purpose　to　follow　strictly　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　in　restoring　the　Southern　States　to　their　normal　place　in　the　Union；　but　the　same　cordial　friendship　subsisted　between　General　Grant　and　myself；　which　was　the　outgrowth　of　personal　relations　dating　back　to　1839。　　So　I　resolved　to　keep　out　of　this　conflict。　　In　September；　1866；　I　was　in　the　mountains　of　New　Mexico；　when　a　message　reached　me　that　I　was　wanted　at　Washington。　　I　had　with　me　a　couple　of　officers　and　half　a　dozen　soldiers　as　escort；　and　traveled　down　the　Arkansas；　through　the　Kiowas；　Comanches；　Cheyennes；　and　Arapahoes；　all　more　or　less　disaffected；　but　reached　St。　Louis　in　safety；　and　proceeded　to　Washington；　where　I　reported　to　General　Grant。
  He　explained　to　me　that　President　Johnson　wanted　to　see　me。　　He　did　not　know　the　why　or　wherefore；　but　supposed　it　had　some　connection　with　an　order　he　（General　Grant）　had　received　to　escort　the　newly　appointed　Minister；　Hon。　Lew　Campbell；　of　Ohio；　to　the　court　of　Juarez；　the　President…elect　of　Mexico；　which　country　was　still　in　possession　of　the　Emperor　Maximilian；　supported　by　a　corps　of　French　troops　commanded　by　General　Bazaine。　　General　Grant　denied　the　right　of　the　President　to　order　him　on　a　d