Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-11-21


sessary under ordinary circumstances. In
of great exigencies it will not do
to stop army supplies on questions of prices.
There is complaint here also about mules.
by which it seemed that somebody wished
to hurry these animals forward very rap
idly. 1t may have been an instance of
fraudulent dealing and forcing of contract;
but when we turn to another part OF the re-
port. and read Gen. Hunters bitter COM
plant that he could not obey orders for
want of mules, there seems to be an irrecon-
cilability about the two charges that might
lead to a satisfactory explanation. In pro-
viding beasts of burden for our army, it
sometimes happens, as it has elsewhere in
this war, that animals have been bought
which were fit only for carrion. But it does
not always happen that such cases are ca
ses of fraud.
So Capt. Davis. it seems, has supplied
war blankets and he too an aid of Gen.
Fremonts. But we cannot help remem-
bering that so scarce are blankets the Gov
ernment has been compelled to appeal to
private charity to supply our Eastern sol
diers; we remember also that all cheap
blankets are partly cotton, and it occurs to
us whether it is not just possible that Gen.
all his life merchant, and is Assistant
Quartermaster, to send or go to the East and
get the best blankets he could to meet an
emergency. And we all know very well
that the best would be bad enough, for the
article is very scarce one, and the Gov
ernment did not think it worth while, when
urged to do so, three months ago, by far
seeing and thoughtful merchants, to enter
into contracts for the supply of the blankets
which patriotic citizens are now stripping
from their own beds for the use of the army.
Even bad blankets, it must be confessed,
are better than none at all.
That pontoon bridge was erected across
the Ohio, where ferry-boat would have
done as well, is another charge. But isn't
it, after all, better to have such means of
transportation sometimes provided, even by
an excess of caution, rather than to suffer
such consequences as being without them,
as we did the other day on the Potomac {?
But heavier charge still is that which i'm
putes to Gen. Fremont peculation or care
- ~ H., &c
Is not the evidence, however, little defec-
tive? A gentleman recently arrived from
San Francisco tells Gen. Thomas that
another gentleman in that city has lately re-
ceived letter from still another gentleman
in Europe, whose assertion is that he made
large sum of money as his share of the
plunder in the purchase of the Fremont
arms. In this transmission of hearsay evil
denee, through three or four channels, even
on 80 important point, where men are
least likely to forget, mistake is not impos-
sible. Then also the guns themselves are
defective, and the men are set "to file down
the nipples" IF that will remedy them, we
may not bave made very bad bargain al
ter all, as guns go in these times and even
if we had, it is quite possible that the fault
may not be Gen. Fremont's, who bought
the guns in Europe when arms of any sort
that could be fired at all were very well
come to us-welcome if only for "grand
parade" But we believe that many of
these guns are in use elsewhere. Have
they proved equally bad everywhere else !?
The fact, if we recollect right, in regard to
this purchase was, that it was sanctioned
by Mr. Adams, ouI Minister to England,
and Mr.. Dayton, our Minister to France
and while the price for them was considered
exceedingly low, the arms themselves were
supposed to be of unusual value. Is it not
possible, not only that there may be some
mistake about this story from Europe by
the-way of San Francisco. but that Gen.
Thomas, in bis hurried visit, may have
mistaken some of the poor arms with which
Fremont has been supplied for those i'm
ported from France? We hope so for the
credit of all the parties concerned in that
purchase.
But, after all, the more serious charges
are those of mismanagernent in the COM
mand of the army. The loss of Lyon was a
grievous loss, and we do not at all know
what reply Gen. Fremont will make to the
accusation that he might have reinforced
him and did not. Our own impre ssion IS
that he could not defend all points for want
of troops, and as he supposed the enemy
were approaching Cairo as well as Spring
field, and meant to take Birds Point,
which commands both Cairo and the month
of the Ohio, he had to choose between them.
He chose Cairo and Birds Point, not be-
cause he underrated the strategic position
of Gen. Lyon at Springfield, but because
they were of more Importance than Spring
field, and because Lyon could retreat and
Cairo couldn't. 1t seems from Gen. Thom-
ass report that the largest force Fremont
had to draw upon at that time was Gen.
Pope's nine regiments in Northern Mis-
souri, He called for four of them. and sent
them to the mouth of the Ohio. He may
have thought that the two regiments at
Rolla had better remain there for Lyon TO
fall back upon, and that he was therefore
'as strong as any other officer on the line."
We may mistake altogether the line of de-
fansa Gen Fremont NAV take TO account for