were diverted by minor matters, he concentrated his whole attention
on what he believed to be the vital object of all campaigning in
the West.

The Tennessee River and the Cumberland River both flow into the
Ohio, not far from where that river empties into the Mississippi.
They, therefore, formed the principal means of water communication
with the Mississippi for the State of Tennessee, and the Confederates
had created forts to protect them at points well within supporting
distance of each other. Fort Henry, guarding the Tennessee River,
and Fort Donelson, commanding the Cumberland River, were both
in Grant's district, and in January, 1862, he wrote to General
Halleck, his superior officer in St. Louis, calling attention to
the importance of these posts and offering suggestions for their
capture. But Halleck did not take any notice of this communication
and Grant thereupon resolved to go to St. Louis and present his
plans in person. This was the first time he had been in the city
since the great change in his circumstances and those who had
known him only a few years before as a poverty-stricken farmer and
wagoner could scarcely believe that he was the same man. He had,
as yet, done nothing very remarkable, but he held an important
command, his name was well and favorably known and he had already
begun to pay off his old debts. All this enabled his father and
mother to regain something of the pride they had once felt for
their eldest son, and his former friends were glad to welcome him
and claim his acquaintance.

Pleasant as this was, the trip to St. Louis was a bitter disappointment
in other respects, for Halleck not only rejected his subordinate's
proposition for the capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, but