William S. Bagley to Richard Yates

Chicago Dec 21st 1864

Hon Richard Yates

Springfield

Dr Sir

Yours of the

16th just received - would say -

when the famous 8th Cavalry was forming I

was at Evanston and His Hon. Gov. Evans

kindly offered to call and see you and did

take a letter - your reply was in effect "I will do

all I can for him" and you then placed the

letter on file - Col. Beveridge was a warm personal

friend and did (as he says) do all he could for me -

Again after spending time and money in assisting

to raise the 127th Infty, a petition was sent to me

by the boys of the company that Capt. Burroughs was

raising to go to Camp Douglas and take the 1st

lieutenancy of that company, a large majority

petitioning Your Hon to remove one Lieut Morgan -

(that failed - Again the 92d Infty and the 7th

at Rockford - Dr. William Lyman did all he

could but that too failed - You will justly

Say that I did not enlist and therefore was

not entitled to any thing - My reason for

not enlisting was that I had no confidence

in the officers and could not command

"money enough to put the thing through"

You may perhaps remember Adjt. Blodget from

Waukegan - I am confident that had he

not been sent to the Regt (74th) -

(a total stranger) Col. Marsh would

have given me the position - In brief

Gov. Yates, if I had gone to you personally

I am confident you could have done by

me as you did by the thousands of brave

boys who have made the State stand

first on the [illegible] of fame - Allow me

to say that it was and is now my only

ambition to be one of them -

I have a boy and how can I answer

to him for the neutral part I take

in this great cause - Perhaps it

is wrong to desire the name and fame

of a [illegible] but I confess to that

[madness?] - I have tried to explain; now

in regard to my brother Lieut Bagley -

E. S. Taylor Esq - remarked to me that

Gov. Yates promised him a commission in

a colored Regiment - and I intended

in my letter to apply for a position

in a colored Regt. because I was well

aware that there could be no promotions

in other Regts. and again Brother [name]

says he would prefer the colored because

they are more susceptiable of discipline and

would without doubt be organized into a

Corps (as in the French Army) after the

present war is over -

Yours most truly

Wm. S. Bagley -

[illegible] 5778 -

Bagley Wm S

Chicago Dec 21st 1864

Has received Governors

letter of the 16th inst, the

Governor promised to do

all he could for him &c

&c - Refers to organization

of 8th Cavalry -