St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-11-14
Gen. Fremont's Purchases
Europe.


revolvers, & rifed cannon, With shot and
shell, aud 100000 percussion caps
The rifles were new aud Of the precise pat
tern of the best standard rifle in use in the
French army, and were made at l.iese i"
Belgium. After Gen. Fre,nont's return
to tho United States, the Secretary Of War,
Mr.. Cameron, sent an order to Mr.. Adams
and Mr.. Dayton to purchase 10000 more
rihes Of the same kind as those purchased
by Gen. Fremont. Still later, Mr.. SehuJ-
Ter, sent to Europa as 4 special agent to
procure arms, offered to buy rifles Of the
same pattern to the number of lU0, ,O00.-
And contract vas made by him f'r 20,-
600 rifles absolutely, aud for $4,000 more
if they could be furnished Aud the ride
is the same in every respect as the 1000
purchased by Gen. Fremont, save that
Gen. Fremont's were made in Belgium,
and the others in France.
The 500 revolvers purchased by Gen.
Fremont were so highly approved that
Mr.. Schuyler sought to buy 10000 more
Of the same kind. It,. "
The riled cannon, eight in number,
were IL Founders, and were made to order,
and there is 10 better riaed cannon of its
size in the service. ..''.', ,''.. ,'...
These were all the arms purchased by
Gen. Fremont in Europe. He desired to
purchase larger quantity, alta time when
arms could have been had at peace prices;
and if he had been furnished the means,
the very arms which Mr. Schuyler is con-
tracing fog now, to be here at some futare
time, would have been already in the hands
of our soldiers.
Gen. Fremont paid SAr these new rifles
SIC each. He could have had $4,000 or
lVO, 900 at the same price, and one lot Of
10000 French rifles was offered a: $3.50,
which have since been sold by other par.
ties to the War Department in Washing
ton for ST. -:
I Gen. Fremont thought at the very first
that while the country would poar forth
its soldiers for the war, there would be an
absolute impossibility to armstem, and he
sought to send to the United States At
once 100000 small arms and 100 riaed
cannon, together with" sabers and cavalry
equipments for Is, 900 men. But he was
not allowed to do 50, and the result is that
Government is buying to-day the very RI
aes bs proposed to buy, and at higher pri-
COS, and is giving S. and 81 for sabsr.
which he could have had for three, aud is
procuring neither sabers nor rifles fast
enough: For this reason, in some parts
Of the country whole regiments Of cavatry
and infantry await arms and equipments.
But this is not the worst Of It.: The very
few arms which General Fremont did buy;
amounting only to $4,000 or s50,OoO,
though approved by the Government, and
made the samples for. other purchases
which special agent is directed to make,
are pronounced. utterly worthless; and the
impression is sought to be created that he
purchased and sent over alt sorts Of good
tor-nothing trash, in which all sorts Of
spectators made, any amount Of money
And this, too, in face Of the fact that the
Administrator expressed great satistac.
ticnl with the few purchases Gen. Fremont
did make; and wrote to- Dir. Adams aud
Nj. Dayton that it was a matter Of regret
that they had not furnished him with
funds to have procured larger quantities,
which the Gopernmentl!then authorized
Mr.. Adams and Mr.. Dayton themselves "
procure, and which ths Government are
bnying new through the agency If Mr..
Schuyler. Perhaps mistake has :hean
made by Mr.SGamaron' and AL jutant Gen
eral Thomas. n Certainly, the arms put.
chased in Europe by General Fremont
were too few in number to have excited q,
much remark They: probably refer to
European aims that haze been, spurchased
in St. Louis, b. Gen. Fremont since he
tookseommand. {, It',so, they should. hot
fail toe take into consideration, i. that not
having been allowed To- purchase arws ia
Europea ,to.. any extent, General Eremopt,
on his arriyal here, was directed, in seoa,
nection with Maj Hssner, Of the Quarter.
masters Department, to procure ARMS in
New. York for the ~ estern Department.;
that by. .dint. Of ,grsat labor they saeured
arms fori , corps d;asmee, Of! q, 900 men,
aud that. these arp,s, after, Gen.. yFEemoat
lett far St. aIopiss were, NJ. cseas 1ts Wash,
iagtan, ssa 3hat he> saSer seceiAsas aspJtpax,