M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-10-03


upon the ground, rayel and stormsd
| in well nigh frenzy, demanding 10 be
lied ont again and "finishothca thing.p
In Cpl. MmshalPs cavalry regiment
the feeling was equally great Much
havoc had already, been done among
! their horses during the seige, and ba t
lihtle more that half Of them remain
cd. Numbers of'the privatca .sctuol.
lily shot their horses oead On the spot,
unwilling that their companions in
the campaign should new fall into the
encmy's hands. r.. -, ,..,..
The privates, numbering scme one
thousand five hundred strong, we're
first made TO take the oath not to serve
against the confederate states, when
they were put across the 1iver.' 1850
FremODfs Gcneraiship -Frands
7sII nnd Extravaganza -
bu Prominent citizens of st. Louis,
known to be high in the couf,lenco
Of the Government, some Of them per
sonal and political friends of General
Fremont, called On him and urged
thenccessity Of sending troops to
Lyon. They suggested to him the
Southwest was the natural route Tor
Gov. Jackson to return 70 the State
and try to recover the capital: that
if the rebels could depart, or r'force
Lyon to retreat on st. Louis, they
could expect large rreinlorcementS TO
meet them on the Usage, and thus in
sure the re establishment otth3 rebel
Government at Jefferson city +; and
that as ths Southwest was the only
really feasible route for a rebel army
TO reach the capital, the movements
OF Pillow and Ilardce were only feints
intended to divert attention from the
movements of McCulIoch ard Prce,
where the blow was to be struck.
These arguments did not convince
Gen. Fremont and he decided torcin
force Birds Point instead Of General
Lyon, and, with an energy that
would not disparage, calle ] in troops,
made his preparations, and in ono
week from the time Of his arrival ,lcft
with five thousand men for Cape CIR
ardeau and Birds Point, taking some
heavy artillery for their deienso.-
While due credit was awarded to thu
General for his energy in getting up
the expedition, yet there were somt
criticisms veutured among old FASH
iOned men at seeing the General &C
down to the boat in an open barouche
drawn by four horses and see him g
aboard ola magnificent steamer char
tered for the exclusive use Of the Gen
and suite, But then the Duke o
Marlborough fought well iihe wa: cA
trayagant.
After an absence Of three days ~,
General returned to the city to NEE
more appeals in behalf of Lyon, anC
to receive more certain intelligence o
the great strength OF the enemy in the
Southwest. The Generals answer t
these appeals was, want of troops tc
senl. ...t
am told that it was suggested t
the General that Wyman's regimen
and Stevcnson's regiment, both sta.
toned at Rolla, could be spared ant
sent forward, and that if any troops
were required. to gumd the stores al
Rolla, Home Guards from st. Loui;
could be sent out to perform that duty,
| sm also told that Col. Wyman whC
commanded a splendid Illinois Regi
ment, wrote to the General beggin.
that he might be ordered forward
But no troops were sent, and Lyon AM
his Spartan band wee left to theil
sad fate. Our only consolation is,tha'
at Wilson's Creek they made record
of glory that shall never die.
Intelligent officers engaged in the
battle, express the opinion ahat two
more regiments would have given u:
a splendid victory, and saved South
western Missouri, from the desolation
which has followed. Many good anG
true men in Missouri, with nounkind
feelirg to Gen. Fremont, believe tina
tie defeat of Lyon was Fremort's fault
A second cause Of complaint haj
been found in the selections of hi,
Staff composed in great part of Ital
ians and uhngsrians, some of whom
cannot speak our language, and who
can have but an imperfect knowledge
of the best mode of warfare in our ex
tended West, especially with an enc
my composed in great part of rowing
gnerrillas. Added to this annoyance
is hisHungar;au Body Guard, at hi,
, quarters, with all the paraphcrlalia o
, European Palace. @ In .ia
Athird objection is the great diff
Guilty OF seeing the General on i'm
portant business. have known Col
f oncls of regiments spend three, four
, and Eve days in st. Louis, seeking al
interview with the General, to tonde
regiments for tho public seryice.-
, Some of them gave up the case al