l. Anderson was still very weak, but was nervous about the future
and extremely anxious to recover sufficiently to take the field. His
bloodless face and trembling motion showed that he couldn't perform
field duty for some time to come. He made a request, however, for
the detail of Capt. Day, of Col. Harden's regiment, as one of his
aides-de-camp. The order for the detail, in accordance with his wishes,
he soon received, but delayed sending it forward, leaving Capt. Day with
Col. Harden until such time as he should be able to be assigned to duty.
In talking over with Gen. Anderson the situation and the mission I had
to perform, we concluded, inasmuch as he was only slightly known through
the West, that he could travel through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois on a
prospecting tour and be less liable to suspicion than myself, known as I
was in many parts of the country, and that the journey was just what he
needed to give him strength.

"Preparatory to his undertaking the expedition we thought proper to
visit Joseph Dent on the farm, and have the General more fully posted
in the mysteries of the Golden Circle. We at once repaired to the farm.
While there Dent instructed him thoroughly, he having it at his
tongue's end, as he had been meeting with the Circle frequently in
the neighborhood, under the advice of Peter and myself. Gen. Anderson
carefully wrote down everything in his pocket memorandum book, and after
frequently going over the signs, manipulations, passwords, etc., with
Dent, we left for home. All the preliminaries were then arranged,
so that the General was to start as soon as he considered himself
sufficiently strong to undergo the fatigues of the journey.

"Late in the evening the form of a tall, well-proportioned man appeared
at the door and rapped. I said 'Come.' He entered, saying, 'Father, how
are you?' I saw it was my son Jackson, from St. Paul, Minn. After hearty
greetings, I introduced him to Gen. Anderson and wife. Aunt Sarah
soon entered the room, and the meeting between mother and son was most
touching. In the conversation that ensued Jackson soon disclosed the
fact that he was on his way to join the army somewhere, not entirely
defined in his own mind; but came by to pay a visit to us first.

"Gen. Anderson seemed at once to take a fancy to Jack son, and proposed
that he make application for a Captaincy in the Regular Army and be
assigned to him as one of his staff officers. This was readily acceded
to