The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-11-09
.[,JJJNE. 1889.
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:, .[JJJNE. 1889.
F. frrou the ic,uSisaat Gase,se. ''
ADJUTANT.GENER TEaOMAO RI.
ESnr ON MASCnr4f7ENE6AL FRk'
We give up large spSesrin oar paper TO the
publication Of this report 10 it iss called. Al
! We before remarked, this war 10 establishing new
precedents, and new standard of military pro-
priety. In the ordinary course Of military events
Il man whom an intelligent Governments has ap-
pointed to the dutiesof Major. General, and the
command Of great department which. accord.
ing TO the plans at that time. was 70 carry on the
great forward movement Of the war-is suppos-
ed to be competent But che Government puts
a Msjor-Gepersl in command, and then puts him
on trial for competency. ssa issraY .ysssi.k
:. It was not required Of the Government that
It should make out 4 case Of incompetency, in
order to remove Gen Fremont, nor 70 charge II.
1t may change and supersede commanders ut its
pleasure; and under ordinary circumstances the
superseding Of 40 officer ID not decision upon
bic competency, nor declaration that he Is uii-
6t for military command. The Government has
seen proper 20 make such q case against Gen.
Fremont in order to supersede him; and - it
has made the issue and laid its case before the
%, its case is properly subject to comment 2
The customary rules Of military propriety re-
auire also that charges against an officer for mis-
conduct should be preferred in regular way,
and that then he shonld have an opportunity for
defense before . court-martial. The present war
seems to have obviated all that, Adiutant Gen
eral Thomas makes flying visit of three days to
Missouri, nearly all of which is spent in travel,
reviews, dinners and the Accomplishments, and
then makes q report to the Secretary Of War
containing long string Of charges of miscon-
duct against Gen. Fremont, some Of them pick.
ed up from run,or some uniKnportant, most of
them vague, and al of them petifcgged by the
Adujutant General in way that shows vastly
more malignity than tact or lbility, and on these
charges, without trial. Judgment is 10 be pro
nounced on Gen. Fremont and the penalty exc.
cuted by removing him from command.
As we said, the Government was not COMPEL.
ed to raise the question Of Gen. FreTont's com
potency. III order to remove him. And il could
not, without an appearance Of the grossest in.
justice, make specific charges Of misconduct
against him, and sentence him to removal 40
penalty, without trial. The management Of the
Fremont affair BY the Government has been un.
fortunate. It has showed the real merits of Gen.
Fremont's administration out Of the question, and
has substituted therefor the conduct of the Gov.
ernment toward him as the subject for popular
comment; and in this conduct the Governments
has created an suppression that it was unjust and
hostile to him. This remarkable report of Ad-
jutant-General Thomas, and the removal of Gen.
Fremont as the execution Of sentence upon that
report, will be the elimination of that unfortu-
nate management; Whereas had the President
removed HIM promptlv and rith0ut ut
to make case against him before the people,
they would have contided in bis integrity, aud
have believed that the Government knew the
necessity of the case, and had administered fair
ly upon them. The people are intelligent enough
to know that the Commavi der in Chief must have
arbitrary control Of his subordinates, and that
to him must he left tae conduct of the war, and
they are not disposed to try the cases of subor-
dinate officers unless the Government makes the
the issne before the public, as it has in General
Fremont's case. gsfes -..# laHr 81
Ii the public we're not before aware of the bit.
ter personal hostility of Adjutant-General Thom-
as to Gen. Fremont. they would have no doubt
Of it after reading his report Thomas does not
seem to have had the sense to see that palpable
malignity and uafarness would greatly disarm
the effect of his report. His personal enmity
overcame bis prudence and tact, ard he laid
himself ont so zealously to make case ngainst
Gen. Fremont, that his work has nothing of the
character of q report of facts, and does not even
pretend the impar.aiity of an investigation, but
is merely pettifogging plea against Gen. -Fre-
mont, which seizes npon the vaguest ruinors and
turns them into charges, and mixes up charges
the most frivolous and irrelevant, v ith those of
the gravest character, all equally careless of ev-
idence; and he argues upon them, and puts ques-
tions on them, suggesting charges of misconduct
and improper motives. Adjntant Gen. Thomas
seems to have forgotten that bis duty was to in
vestigatc, and to have imagined that he was the
public accuser. He has discharged that office
as we'll as he knew how. His zeal exceeded his
ability. But it would be an abuse of words to
call his work report
70 review the numerous charges of this docu-
mcnt would require more space than we or our
readers would like to give to it, especially as an
accusation may be made In few words which
would take many to explain. remarkable fea-
ture IS the very cursory manner in which this So
called investigation was made. The investiga.
tors seem to have been made aware by common
ruInor of the tangible spots in Gen. Fremonts
administration, and to these they devoted them
selves. So, after breakfast at St. Louis, which
is duly reported, the Adiutant-G General says they
rode to Benton Barracks. "Much has been said
OF the large sums expended in their erection"
AdJutant-General Thomas says, "but some one
mentioned that Gen. McKinstry gave the cost at
$4,000" Upon this somebody's saving that
some one told him that somebody heard that
Gen. McKinstry gave the cost at $4,000, the
Adjutant,General gravcly reports: IF 20, it
was Judicions;" but adds as a measure OF extra
caution: "The total cost should be ascertained /"
This valuable Investigation disposed of the
Benton Barracks question. Gen. Curtis in com.
mand at the barracks, was then examined as to
what he thought OF Gen. Fremont. He said that
no found no difficulty 10 getting access to him
when he had business; but Gen. Fremont never
told him his plans, nor consulted him on militia
ry affairs. When cross-examinad, he admitted
that while he would 60 with freedom to Gen.
Scott, and express his opinions, he would not
dare to do so to Gen. Fremont, IA to that, If
Zen. Curtis had been in the habit Of going with
freedom to Gen. Scott and expressing his opin-
ersn in different mood from that WI hich he ex-
hibits to inferior officers generally.
Gen. Curtis further reIlied that she deemed
ten. Fremont unequal to the command of an ar
my, and said he was no more bound BY law than
the winds" -
ihis SHOWS how pleasing and instructive mill
tary Investigations may be made under the new
System OF taking testimony of subordinate off,
GERS as to tue competency Of the General in CON.
mand. Doubtless every General, Colonel. and
probably every officer and most Of the priystes.
thinks himself the very person to command the
army, and regards it as personal matter to him
that anybody else should occupy that position.
Under the foraeY custom, charges OF violation
OF law were required to be made specifically, and
would make court martial necessary; but Gen.
Curtis tcstlfes, and Adjutant General Thomas
reports on Gen. Fremonts seolian freedom from
the shackles OF law. He is represented, like the
nnfamable zebra, showing his heels TO oil legal
fetters 49,
Military operations generally are slightly in
excess OF the provisions Of civil law. PERHAPS
Gen Fremont has done something not provided
by statute; and perhaps Gen. Curtis head may
not be very clear OH law, but at any rate, Il ia
entertaining to have the investigation transfer.
red from Gen. Fremont's acts to the freedom of
his nature.
We devote more space to the first item of the
investigation and report, because it is a speci.
men of the whole. What real Investigation
could be made in the flying visit OF Thomas to
Missoarif None could honestly be pretended
The only important military testimony taken in
the case was that which win astoSisl. the militia
ry world by its impropriety--the testimony Of