Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-11-15
MCscArlNE. Nov. 7. 1861,

| friends Of General Fremont in this locality
would be glad to see the following article pub
lis!,cd in the Journal. The article is takel
from the Christian Times, and is, think
alike admirable for its fairness, its good style
and its sound judgment
Yours, &c, J. o. w.
Word for E'rcmOnt.
tits an ungrac,ous, ana, seemingly, an un
patriotic task, to find fault with and censur,
i1e action of those who are charged with tn
def nee Of the country in ,ho present crisis
i'rt unless We go upon the hypothesis tina
"Aii IS can do nothing wrong" duty compa!
Is occasionally to take notice Of things tina
are transporting around us, even though it b'
to condemn the course p, rsued by those higl
| in authority.
Gen. Fremont, some three months since
entered upon the command of the Depart
ment of the West, with prestige which at
tended no other man in the army. The en-
tire North West hailed his appointment with
enthusiasm, and volunteers rushed to hi.
standard by thousands. That he ks~en.
.ircly come up to public expectatio,syfwe dc
not contend 1t was not, perhaps,F among
the possibilities that any man should, for thu
expectation was cXtravagant, doubtless un
| reasonable.
But he was scarcely warm in his new posi-
ton before he was assailcd by the red-tapists
by the politicians, and by the specializing
army contractors, and the warfare has beer
kept up to this time. ...
Comparisons are said to be odious Ir
making the comparison which we propose
we do it without the slightest intent or pnr-
pose of casting blame upon any party. We
are willing that the record shall go to poster.
ity as a part of the history of the country,
where, perhaps impartlality will more
largely mingle with the verdict that shall be
rendered.
Let us briefly compare the Department Of
the Potomac With the Department Of the
West The former has had at its command
from the beginning the entire resources of
the country - military, monetary and
naval. 1t has had the President, Secre-
tary of War, Lieutenant General, and all the
ablest and most experienced military leaders
of the country to aid and direct it. 1t has
had ali the men it demanded from the East
and from tee Vest. All the national and
most of the private manufactures of arms
have been at work for it. Immense purchas-
es from abroad have been made for it. The
Governors oil the loyal States, and their re-
sources, have been employed mainly for its
benefit. The regular Quartermaster's Com
missary's and Ordnance Departments have
thrown in upon it unlimited supplies.
Well with all this, what has been accom-
pl;shed? We have had Great Eethel- Vaea-
na-BuU Ru.- Elwards Ferry-and a few
other unimpo-tan affairs Washington has
been def,nded-extensive and necessary en-
trenchments have been thrown up around 1t
-Harper's Ferry, and the region round
about, once occupied, has been abandoned to
the rebels, who for weeks f1outed their trait
orous flag in the face of our army and in
sight of the Capitol the Potomac has been
b!ockaded! 1t might, perhaps, be added that
IIatteras has been captured, though that ex-
plot is generally conceded to the navy, and
that ano her land and naval expedition has
gone South A large and effective army has
been organized and disciplined.
We now turn to the Western Department.
In the first place, it embraces frontier of
about iiltetn hundred miles, with at least a
dozen points to d :fend, to which the Federal
,rccs. at tn. time Fremont assumed the COM
mand, were entirely inadequate. But it Is
not too much to say that to gallant Lyon had
done noby with the means at his command
had done better than has since or before
been done, either in the East or West. Gen.
Fremont found Price, and Pillow, and Polk,
and McCL loch, and uardee, and jeff Thomp-
son in the field, with each a formidable col
umn when compared with a Federal force, be
sides lesser bands all over the State embrac
ing an area of 5000 square miles. The
W est had been drained OF arms for the men
who had gone to the Potomac There were
but few seryiceable small arms, and not an
effective piece of ordnance in the States from
which he was to draw supplies. There were
no regular Quartermaster's or Commissary's
departments. The army, such as it was, was
wiGaout transportatio:l-wa poorly provided
with every thing. The reinforcements which
were forwarded were.unarmed and unequip
ped, ana large proportion of them ununi-
formed. The Treasury Department was
slack in furnishing funds, the supply being
totally inadequate AIMS which he had Or
dercd We're diverted to other commands.
Mary of his best regiments were taken from
him and transferred, at different times, to
kentucky and the PotonaC-whirh process
is yet gong forward-the Yates Phalanx be-
ing the last ordered away. lie has been
bounded all the way through by the poll.i-
clans, and the disappointed contractors and
ther friends. lie has been hampered and
thwarted from head quarters, and yet what
has been accomplished
st. Lcuis mas been strongly fortified
whether necessary Or not but as the rebels
mad about $4,000 men i'll Missouri, and the
-, N, ,r-t, tlNox -.,.'>.
St. Louis Was in full as much
danger as Washington. A large and effective
army, numbering III the vicinity Of $4,000,
has beed gathered, organized, armed and
equipped, as we'll as the means which FIRE.
mont has been permitted by the Government
to have, would allow. Commissary and
Gu rtermaster stores nave been provided
has been secured and This
means more where f,ot marches are necessa-
", is in Missouri, than it docs where rail-
road or water passages are made Several
important points have been fortified. The
most brilliant victory Of the war-that at
Frelericktown-has been achieved. Many
lesser fights, in which the Federal troops
were victo. ious, have occurred. The rebels
have been driven from Missouri, CT nearly so,
and Fremon: is in pursuit OF them with such
a force that if they make stand utter de-.
stl uctior awaits them. If not caught, they
will be driven peil-mell into Arkansas-iI
they have moi already been. But then there
has been the dcleat and death Of the gallant
Lyon aftei noolc fight. Others have SHOWN
tho Hon. Schuyler Colfax, Most conclusive
ly-that this was no fault Of Fremont-tfat
INC condition of his forces and his transporta-
ton rendered 1t impossible to send the necessa-
ry rcinforcements. Then we have Lexington,
an affair which needs explanation. We ad-
nit that no one is satisfied of the necessity
of this disaster Nor will the people Of the
West be until it is demonstrated by facts not
yet made public, that it was impracticable to
reinforce Mull'gan during the protracted
siege. But the people arc little satisfied with
the terribly disastrous affair at Edwards Fer
ry. And yet do they clamor for the removal
OF Mcclellan, or Banks, Ut Stone, on account OF
lt2
In accomplishing this, it must be remem.
bercd that Gen. Fremont mas had to super
in tend all the departp ents Of the army or