The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-10-17
important Documents..-Gen. Fremont's
Charges and Specifications against Col.
Blair.

Important Documents.--Gen. Fremont,s
Charges and Specifications against Col.
Blair.
Charges and Specifications against
Col. Frank p. Blair, of the First
Regiment Missouri Light artillery,
ao,c IN the seryace of the United
States, and the Western Department
thereof. w
FIRST CHARGE.
Conduct unbecoming an officer and
a gentleman. a
Specification.
That said Col Frank P. Blair, while
acting as Colonel of the First Regi-
ment Missouri Light Artillery. then in
the service of the United States, and
the Western Department thereof, did,
at the city of St. Louis. in the State of
Missouri, on divers occasions between
the first and the twentieth days of Sep
tember, 1861, speak of and concerning
Major General ]. G. Fremont, who
was then the commanding General of
said Department, in terms unbecoming
an officer and gentleman, assailing his
personal and official character, charg-
ing him with inability and inefficiency !;
that said Blair used his position as a
member of the military household of
the commanding Generals to give
weight to his assaults.
Second Specification.
That said Col. Blair made secret
charges against said commanding Gen
eral in letter which he wrote on the
FIRST day of September, 1861, to his
brother Montgomery Blair, Postmaster
General of the United States, he sought
to efectuate the removal of said Com
manding General. Said charges were
made, not to the Secretary of War, or
Commander-in- Chief of the Army, but
to the Postmaster General, his brother ;
thus using his family relations with the
Cabinet to get, secret, insidious, unsus-
tanned, and ungentlemanly charges
against said Commanding General be-
fore the President of the United States,
his purpose being to have appointed,
without consultation with the military
!, authorities, comission to investigate
, the affairs and management of said
| Western Department, to be directed
by, and to consist in part of the brother
of said Col. Blair, the accused that
said vexatious and harassing proceed
: ings were calculated to, and did, in
part, disturb the Presidents confidence
i'll said Commanding General and his
administration of affairs of said West.
ern Department; that said Col. Blair's
: course also impaired and paralyzed the
efficiency of said military department
Third Specification.
That said Colonel Blair wrote said
letter to his brother, Montgomery Blair
for the purpose of effecting the removal
of the said Commanding General, with
ont affording him an opportunity of de
fense.
CHARGE SECOND.
That said Colonel Frank P. Blair
while acting as Colonel of the FRS
t Missouri Regiment of Light Artillery
: while in the service of the army of the
, United States, and in the Western De
s partment thereof, wrote and caused tt
! be published over his own signature, il
l.. the Missouri Democrat, an article OF
the subject of said Blair's arrest tt
n answer the charges herein preferret
e against him, in which article occurs
4 the following language, viz: "I assur,
Q yOu," (meaning the editors of sait
s newspapers whether you believe m,
d cor not, that do not even shrink from
# 7" the pompous threats which appea
n Gin your columns, but whose unfamil
v "iar garb betrays another origin :;
o which said article was written and pub
lished by said Blair for the purpose o
It conveying the unjust and false impres
IS sion that said article was written @
g caused to be written, by said Majo
q General.
d Second Specification.
e That said Blair, while acting as Colo
+ mel of the First Missouri Light Artile
II ry, wrote and caused to be publishe
e in the city of St. Louis and State {
N Missouri, false and defamatory article
IS over his own signature, in which occur
er the following language, viz: / repl
"that never asked General Fremor
lie Ga personal favor that he did not graz
t, cit Immediately. nevt
"a recommended him to give contra,
AZ "to any person, that he did not use h
Is. influence to obtain it."
Is The copies of the correspondent
re which preceded, and resulted in til
IN final product of the copy of the lette
8, from Col. Blair to his brother Mon
gomery Blair, are hereto appended an
made part hereof. They consist of
g, lst. Mrs. Fremont's note to the Pres
"a dent, marked Al; I'd. Mrs. Fremont
',' note to the President, marked B 81
q, The Presidents letter to Mrs. Fremon
"a marked IC]; 4th. Gen. Frelnont's tt
y egrams to the President, marked I'd
y 5th. Montgomery Blair's telegram
:. Gen. Fremont, marked E.
L. lSigned, JOHN G. FREMONT
:, Major General Commanding.
:, MRS. FREMoNT's NOTE TO THE PRES
DENT.