About the middle of January, Capt.  Nathaniel Lyon, of the Second Infantry, U.S.A., arrived in St. Louis with his company; and his rank gave him command of all the troops then at the arsenal and Jefferson Barracks, a post on the river, ten miles below, the department being under the command of Brigadier General Harney.  Capt.  Lyon had been garrisoning a fort in Kansas.  He was known to some of the Union men of St. Louis; and his resolute spirit and devoted patriotism marked him as their leader in this crisis.  Frank Blair at once put himself in communication with Capt.  Lyon, and advised him fully and minutely as to the political situation.  He exposed to him the existence of his volunteer military organization.  At his request Capt.  Lyon visited and reviewed the regiments; and it was arranged between them that if an outbreak should occur, or any attempt be made to seize the arsenal, Capt.  Lyon should receive this volunteer force to his assistance, arm it from the arsenal, and take command for the emergency.  It should be known, however, to the greater credit of the Union leaders of St. Louis, that they had already, from private funds, procured about one thousand stand of arms, with which their nightly drills, as heretofore stated, had been conducted.  As soon as Capt.  Lyon’s connection with this organization was suspected, an attempt was made to have him removed, by ordering him to Kansas on the pretext of a court of inquiry; but this attempt was defeated.  Thus matters stood for a time, the Union men beginning to be reassured, but still doubtful of the end.  After a while, Fort Sumter was opened upon, and fell under its furious bombardment.  The torch of war was lit.  President Lincoln issued his proclamation for volunteers.  Gov.  Jackson telegraphed back an insolent and defiant refusal, in which he denounced the ‘war waged by the federal government’ as ‘inhuman and diabolical.’  Frank Blair instantly followed this traitorous governor’s dispatch by another, addressed to the Secretary of War, asking him to accept and muster into service the volunteer regiments he had been forming.  This offer was accepted, and the men presented themselves.  But Brig.  Gen. Harney, fearing that the arming of these troops would exasperate the secession populace, and bring about a collision with the State militia, refused to permit the men to be mustered into service and armed.  This extraordinary decision was immediately telegraphed to the government, and Gen. Harney was relieved, leaving Capt.  Lyon in full command.  This was the 23d of April.  In a week four full regiments were mustered in, and occupied the arsenal.  A memorial was prepared and sent to Washington by Frank Blair, now colonel of the first of these regiments, asking for the enrolment of five other regiments of Home Guards.  Permission was given, and in another week these regiments also were organized and armed.  The conflict was now at hand.  Simultaneously with this arming on the part of the government for