Thanks Bob. Possible that he, like others, thought that service in the Trans-Mississippi was a step down. Also wonder about the troops under him. Most while being volunteers, did so under the threat of conscription. They more than likely had a bit different attitude compared to the soldiers of the 1st.
Be interesting to do a study of the average age of a 26th soldier compared to the average age of a soldier in the 1st. I would think that like today, men of that time period would not be as gung-ho at age 30 vs age 20. Just thinking out loud here.
Chuck Lee