When Governor Andrew's first letter to the Secretary of War requesting permission to raise a 3-year regiment for the war went unanswered, it was decided to deliver another letter in person. Business precluded Gordon from going, so George L. Andrews and Wilder Dwight, the future Lieutenant-Colonel and Major of the regiment undertook the task.After a pleasant journey to New York, they boarded the train to Phildelphia and arrived there about eleven a.m. The once uneventful trip to Washington, D.C., had now become far more perilous in nature. Andrews described their progress:
"We left almost immediately & took the Baltimore cares, but we could go no further than Perryville, opposite Havre de Grace on the Susquehanna River where we took the Government steamer, an old scow of a thing, and went down the bay to Annapolis....We found the railroad from Annapolis to the Junction with the Washington railroad wholly in the hands of the Government. The people along the railroad kept taking up the rails so as to embarrass the Government trains. We spent the night in the Ladies' Room in the depot at Annapolis, expecting a train to go before morning, but none went until 9 o'clock this morning. We then started slowly, having a guard of about 20 soldiers on board. Frequent stops had to be made to repair the railroad as we went along. We were about 4 hours on going about 20 miles....At Annapolis Junction we found so many troops to go forward--two regiments I believe--that it was doubtful if we would find room. But after a long delay we started very slowly & frequently stopping until at last we reached Washington..."
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