Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-10-11
Fremont's Facilities.

chase loOUUU Suiali aTH'S, IIsIeu td'Wn,
volvets and sabres. He could kave had them
at peace prices. The Government would not
authorize him to buy, and the American
Ministers sent out by Buchanan, operated
against him. Only small portion OF the
purchase was made. The Government has
now, at this late day, an agent to procure
arms in Europe at udr prices. =,
In Washington, Fremont was promised
: 900 stand of arms for the Illinois regiments
These arms were sought because the Cover
nor of Illinois had Represented that they were
needed Col Ripley refused to issue the
arms, saying that he thought |" the Governor
of Illinois was mistaken in what he needed
Fremont transmitted this refusal to the Pres
ident, who sent Major Wagner to New York,
to procure arms and equipments for 1900
men for the West. These materials were
gathered with good deal OF pains, and by
dint of Fremcnts personal activity and the
cooperation of his friends. +" 4 49, C. l.
july 22d' he left New York for st. Louis.
At Philadelphia he received tidlngs OF the
disaster at Manassas, and fearing the effect
i'm the West, tclegraphed back TO Wagner
not to allow the arms to be diverted to Wash
ington, but to send them ut once by fast
freight line to St. Louis. since Manassas
would make the work hard here. The result,
was that everything was ordered to Wash
ington. Fremont could not procure IA sad
die, nor artillery. nor harness, nor u gun
nothing was left hin, but a few sabres, which
were his personal purchase. As If tins Were
not enough Il requi>ition was made upon
him for 5000 mu>kets, but the Department
was absolutely unable to furnish one. The
Arsenal was empty, and it is difficult to un-
derstand how the Government could have
been ignorant of the fact. He was COMPEL
ed to makercquisition for men and arms, but
got neither. .... -.
The condition Of the regiments Of his De-
partmcnt we have already described. 1t will
suffice to repeat that Of the some l9, 500 men
of his command all except 4, 800 were three
months men, whose terms were on the point
of expiring. Uad,r the Presidents orders
he had at once to meet the threatening ext
cency at Cairo. Birds Point and Paducah
and to make what shifts he cOu!o for troops
and munitions He succeeded in procuring
$500 Austrian musketS, which he had rifled
and furnished with improved locks, after
which each gun had cost &l1.
RosSeau's brigade of $500 cavalry, thor
oush soldiers, had been assigned to Fremont.
He ordered them into Missouri, but the order
was countermanded by the Presidents tele-
gram, through TIE Interference of iniluen
ta gentlemen" and the troops were kept at
Jefiersonville. Indiana, opposite Kentucky,
into which State they have since crossed
AT the very tim. that Price was advancing
upon Lexington, five full regiments, armed
and equipped, were ordered from Missouri to
Washington. Two were all that could be
sent. and more than could be spared, but
they were Immediately dispatched from TT.
Holt. To one of them occurred the accident
of the 18th nit on the Ohio and Mississippi
Railroad OF course this order very serious
ly embarrassed the Department here, and
compelled an entire change of the programme
previously detcrminyd and partially entered
upon.
To these adverse circumstances was added
the one that Frcmpnt'S credit was impaired
AMI his plans further hm.l,led by the attacks
of p, rSo,al enemies IN the y, ar" The in
di>pcnSahlc materials he had ordered were
withheld through fear that Fr. mont would
Le sup rscdctl and they would not be paid
for by the Government Thus WAS he on
all hands crippled and Inverted and driv, n
about to tn utter abandonment Of his rnt r.
priScs.
All the three months men, embracing
about the entire army, ON Fremort'S arrival
here. he has di>handed He has Succeeded
in getting toy Their at last an effective force
of some fifty Thousand men, with whom,
properly supported from Washington. he
doubtless could have gone forward to crush
out the enemy but if the prosecutions and
interruptions to which he had been subjected
were continued, he would still have been Sc
riously embarrassed at nearly each iinpor-
tant step.
Notwithstanding all the annoyances. FIRE.
mont hurried forward | / 600 men to the re-
lief of Mulligan at Lexington. This force,
however, failed to accomplish its Object
The enemy had removed and secured all
available means for crossing the river. II
any ccnsure is to be bestowed because the
achievements failed to reach Mulllgan, il
clearly is not due to Frcmont.--.St Louis
Democrat.
THERE are now more than thirty thousand
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois troops in Ken
lucky. They ate in greatest force at Pa''ncah
81,