Worcester daily spy., 1861-11-08
TIE CASE OF GEN. FREMONT.
LETTER TO ADJUrANT GENERAL THOMAS


against the military administration OF MAJOR
Gen Fremont and think II would DC Oh "Se'
both to yourself and to the service, 10 uei'io"-
strate 10 yolr that Nour report prouuces the
conviction that you have been made te il'ho
cent victim of something IKE a conSPtt"cy'
which exists in Missouri win Iahihca'ohs
extending even Il, The national capital, for the
overthrow of that energetic commahder. l
shall draw all my PROOFS OF TINS suggestion
from your own carefully worded report, SO
that neither the authenticity OF my iRcts nor
the soundness of my conclusions can possibly
be disputed.
l. Gen Curtis informed you that he had
ready access TO The major general ana tuat ".e
general attended to all the business he Sa6RHted 10
him. But Gen Curtis added, "Gen' Fremont
never consulted him (Curtis) on military AZ
fairs, nor informed him Of his plans lie
considered him TO be unequal TO the co'hihahu
OF the army in issourl.
/ We have here good proof that Gen. Fremont
attends to the important business submitted to
| him, and tlIat he possesses such a knowledge
of the human character, that he acoutd not take no
his confidence and qiUe his plans 10 one acho might
5etrdy them 10 the ,9ar department, TO 90 thence
directly through the newspapers to the enemy.
Does this show uniiness orfitness for high
command? You are public officer, and
| doubtless a good judge.
2 You visited the hospital ''lt was filled
with patients, mostly doing well. Hospital IN
| fine order, and a credit TO the service
8. Capt Turuley OF ST. Louis objected to
receiving certain muics for whath he considered
! good and sufficient reasons. But he was new
ertheless ordered promptly 10 inspect and re-
| Ceive them.
This is distinct charge Yet, further on
in your report, we fiud good cause for the
major generals decision. lie was about to
move his great army, and mules and horses,
accordingly, must be had to start 1t. This
serves also to explain another passage Ill your
report =
"When Cen Hunter received, at Jefferson
City orders 10 march to Upton, he was
directed to take forty one wagons with him,
when he had only forty mules, which fact had
been duly reported at headquarters.
This and other similar facts clear up the
whole matter The major general bought
mules as fast as he could get them IN ST.
Louis, for which he was censured here-and
sent them, as fast as he could get them of, to
the west where the army could not move in
pursuit of Price just for want of them, and
this was reported with censure to you there,
by the officer who needed them for his march.
4. "Among the supplies sent by Gen Ere
mont to the army now in the field may be
enumerated 500 half barrels, to carry water
where water is abundant, and 500 tons OF ice"
This entire lot of hall barrels probably cost
$3.50 Permit me to say, Mr.. AdjuIant Cen
erai, that the detractors Of Fremont who sur
rounded you and the honorable secretary OF
war in St. Louis must have been hard pressed
for substantial facts when they raked up this
charge Ii you will lake five minutes walk
any morning from your own office in the war
department., you will find these half barrels, or
even Whote barrels, in use tor carrying water
not excepting those in the neighborIiood of the
| city hydrants.
The encampmenls in Missouri are doubtless
| established on the high ground, while the
| streams run there, as elsewhere, in the val
| leys below and these half barrels were the
cheapest and best vessels that could be used to
enable the men to carry the water from the
riyuets up to their camps.
5. But he sent also five hundred tons OF ice
from ST. Louis to his army in the interior.
You have already had evidence OF General
Fremonts care OF The sick in ST. Louis. This
provision of ice shows that he is equally mind
full for his sick sol iers in the tield-whose
complaints were, doubtless, just those,-
they are in our hospitals here in Washington
for which cooling drinks and cold external
applications are prescribed Believe me, Mr.
AdJutant General, the country will not grudge
these sick soldiers what little comfort their
thoughttal general may have secured them by
sending a train of cars loaded with ice for
their relief.
g. "a pontoon bridge las been erected across
the Ohio river, by Gen. Fremont, at Paducah.
A ferry boat in Il region where such boats are
readily procured, would be ust as efficient and
| much less expensive"
We have had recent practical evidence of
the correctness OF your opinion, and the sound.
ness Of your economical principles upon this
point here on the upper Potomac where it has
been demonstrated that an old scolU and t,co
small ShiBS are deemed by certain military men
quite sufficient for the passage Of an army
across vide river 1t is possible, however,
that Gen Fremont did not wish TO see those
brave volunteers, for whom he has tried to
provide good hospitals, and even ice, in their
extremity, rushing headlong and naked in
wild despair, as they did the other day at Ed
wards Ferry, and pluuging into the river to
swim for their lives. lam sure that the coun.
try will excuse this extravaganza.
7, Another charge is, that certain "blankets
had been inspected and found to be composed
mostly of cotton, and 10 be rotten and worth
less" And you add, Notwithstanding this
decision, they were purchased and given to
the sick and wounded soldiers in the hospital"
Perhaps can explain this matter to your
satislac ion. You may not have time, amid
the pressure Of Official duties to read the
newspapers, and therefore, probably are not
aware that the supply of proper army blankets
IN the country had becomH exhausted, and
that the quarlermaster general had ordered
many thousands OF them from Europe. That
the arrival of these blankets was DELAYED and
that the quartermaSter general was compelled
to issue patriotic appeal 10 private families
tor such blankets as they could spare from
tllelr domestic Stores
Now, 1t Is very possible that Gen. Fremont
who seems TO have a soft spot in that side of
his heart which is so often turned towards his
sick and wounded soders-however ltd, he
cares for official conspirators and their pimus,
abettors and iniormers-thought the "sick and
wounded soldiers in the hospital" would be
more comfortable under a poor blanket than
'oih none at ALL. He very properly secured
them such as he could get-and ii does not ap.
pear from your report that he ever rejected
good ones and distributed bad ones.
1t is stated in your report that very soon
after Capt Turnkey was desired to receive the
mules at st. Louis, good, bad, and indiifer-
ent, as he said, lie was sent into the interior
OF Missouri by a special order OF Gen. Ere.
mont. The connection and phraseoogy of
your report produced the impression on my
mind OF suspicion that Gen. Fremont had
sent Capt Turney into the interior because
he was an impeachment i'll the way of certain
fraudulent transactions that were going on at
st. Louis, But the matter is explained
though you unfortunately failed to call atten-
tlon to it--by the fact which you subsequently,
discovered that Capt. Turnkey was dispatched
westwardly to receive the mules, the half
barrels, the forage, &c., which had been so
| hastily fnrVar1pd fr,,t Tnuis m Iaff,r