, 1861-09-27
The Lexington DIsaster..A Defence Of
of GeAs Fremont.
from the South Bend Kegiater1

doubtless Was eyer seen on American soil, |
Mulligan and his brave soldiers, less than
Friday to surrender to Price. who with an |
army Of 5000 to GOO had been besleging |
them in their fortihcatio1s. They had been
ont Of water for two days, and their ammun1
ton was nearly exhausted. Yet the heroic |
Mulligan refused esen then to surrender; but,
being wounded in the leg, the Missouri Home |
Guards, who had acted cowa1dly, compelled |
the surrender. Mulligan, however, uncon- |
querable to the last, refused to give up his |
sword till it was taken from him By main |
force.
The Chicago TRIBUNE, which, for the Last |
fortnight, haa been vindicatlDg Gen Fremont
against his aEsailante, now indignant this re-
verse, t8vor6 his removal Wehad not intend
I'd to allude publicly to eoA4e facts that hap
pen to be in our possession, but We think the
public interest will not now be jeopardiZed
By referring to them
Fremont has had four rebel armies in the
field against him, besides smaller divisions.
Price threatening Lexington with IT, 600.
McCul1och threatening Ro1la aud Jefferson
City with 1900; Hardee with an unknown
with q, 900 at Columbus, Ky, and with the
United States forces at Paducah and Cairo,
Inferior in numbers to them. Besides these
are Martin Green, JEFF. Thompson, and others
with smn1ler armies, mainly drawn from Home
rebels. In eli not less than 60, 900 have been
them from Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi
and Texas-near1y as large number as have
| been threatening Washington, for the defence
| of which, the whole country has been called
upon for reinforcements. Yet Mcclellan has
| not been subjected to the cruel charge Of Sin
| efficiency" and We are glad he has not been.
| Besides clearing North Missouri Of the I5o-
els, Fremont had the following points to de-
feEd Lexington, Rc11s, (the terminus Of the
southwest branch OF the Pacific Railroad)
Jef1trson City, 0he capito]} St. Louis, 1Ionten,
{the terminus of the Iron Mountain r2ilroad,)
| Boon9ille, Cape Gi1ardeau, on the Mississippi!
River, Birds Point, Norfolk, Cairo, Fort Holt
ion the Kentucky Side Of the river, south Of
Cairo. ard guarding the approach to it, and
Paducab, which commands the mouth Of the
Gun 4bE1land and Tennessee Rivers. How
large force he has at his command to hold
these points and also TO fight these opposing
armies, We do not feel at lb=rty to state.
Again it is well known at St. Louis that be
had all his plans laid zo1ne time since, for sur.
| rounding and taking Martin Green, while il
North Missouri. The intoxicatlon Of an U. 8.
Br5gadier General frustrated them, and allowed
him to escape. another movement was i'm
nediate1y planned, which by q bold and sue
| cessful dash in the West, would have probably
sfoken up tho rebel army On the Potomac II
their anxiety for their homes. The regiments
from 1ndiana and WISCONSIN, on which h'
relied to swell the numbers Of his attacking
!: party, were just at this time ordered East
which ended that movement. Theu Prizes I'D
yanced towards Lexington, and the order
we're already prepared for the coucentratio!
E ct sufficient troops to reinforce Mulligan ant
order from Washington Tor 5000 Of his bes
armed and equipped troops to be sent thithe
| Immediately, and they acco1 dinghy went E7s
| instead Of West. We know what big feeling
were when he received the order. We wer
there at the time, and he eaid: " Washington
/ 1s, hh bpVfH IF fhh WE
| is lost and myself destroyed" But reinforce
meuts were ordered to Mulligan. Why thos
:, which left North Missouri BY his orders, f1v
days before the surrender, did not arrive, n
! one as yet knows: Those which lett JeftsrEo7
= City two days before the surrender, on steam
ers, were compelled, doubtless, to procee
slowly and cautiously up the river, and tn
messenger to Lane lin Kansas) may not hay
I reached him.
We do not alluae to these things as th
? We arc no mans parts III in this contest, an
the officer, who, having sufficient troops q
: lows his countTy's cause to be defeated, +
j. would have displaced, If he were our nearer
and dearest friend. To show, however. ho'
|. the number Of his troops have been exagger
? that while We were in st. Louis, two Of tt
i highest provisional State officers told us tn
:. there were e, Geo troops In the city, and tn
Il half Of them at least could be spared. AT
s efler Price. So We thought 700, and so to
| the General. He handed uB the muster roll
d all the United States troops in and around
" Louis on that day, numbering barely GOO, col
l. posed Of two full regiments, and number
i, fragmeptary onee. Alter that, he received
n order for troops to be sent to Washington.
to We would not allude to these figures eV
" at this time pearly two weeks afterwards, d
u u 1t not been that st. Louis has since been
I'll inforced BY fresh troops from Illinois; but