From, St. Louis to Belmont 45

When the cardinal position at Cairo was threat-ened by Polk, Grant seized it and made it hisheadquarters on the same day that Polk occupiedColumbus . Grant thus gained an initiative whichhe was not slow in using. Polk’s position atColumbus blockaded the Mississippi river up tothat point; by next seizing Paducah , he wouldblockade the lower Ohio likewise, and commandthe mouths of the Tennessee and the Cumberland,two broad rivers which served as indispensablemilitary highways leading for hundreds of milesthrough the central portion of the Confederacy.The bishop sent scouts to inspect Paducah , butGrant was again beforehand, and occu- Grant se!zegpied the town just at the moment when Paducah ,the good state of Kentucky was throwing off theincubus of secession. His behaviour in this affairwas characteristic. Comprehending the militarysituation at a glance, he telegraphed to Fremontthat he should strike at Paducah unless withheldby positive orders. Then he went on and seizedthe position, and on returning to Cairo found Fre-mont’s despatch authorizing him to make the at-tempt if he felt strong enough. We see here thesame qualities which we had observed in Lyon, —the ardour and quickness to strike, combined withthe sagacity which knows where to aim the blow.With Paducah in Union hands, it was no longer