Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1861-10-11
BLAIR VS.. FREMONT.

IuTS. TTeWOHJ -LtttCF " StHCOtH--IItH-
coins Reply-Gen. Fremont's Demand
for Colonel Blasr's Lctter--Postmasteq
Blair's Answer, dc.
We find the subjoined interesting doc
uments in the Cincinnati Enquirer of
Friday. That journal does not mention
the. source from which they were OBJ
tanned.
During the past month the country
has been disturbed by the unfriendly re-
lations that have sprung up suddenly
between Major-General Fremont, COM
mander of the western division of the
army, and Col. Frank p. Blair, Jr., of
the first regiment Missouri volunteers,
eight artihery.) The letter of Colonel
Blair to Judge Blair, his brother, and
Postmaster General, was Immediately
brought before the President and the
cabinet, and vigorous discussion en-
sued for the removal of General Fremont,
but resulted in the postponement of such
decision for the present, the President
and majority of the cabinet being un-
qualiiedly adverse to the removal.
Mrs. Fremont, who was in Washing
ton at the time, received information of
Col. Blair's attack on General Fremont,
and Immediately wrote 70 the President
requesting copy Of Col. BIS letter
The President declined to furnish Col.
Blair's letter, and in the same letter dis
claimed any hostility to the General, or
that any impression had been made on
his mind against the honor or integrity
of General Fremont. Gen. Fremont
then telegraphed the President, request
ing copy of Colonel Blair's letter, and
through Judge Montgomery Blair the
letter of the Colonel-was forwarded to
Gen. Fremont, accompanied with re-
quest that the Colonel should be released
from arrest. The offer of release was
extended to Col. Blair, at the request of
the Postmaster General, but the Colonel
declined the offer, and is now at Jeffer-
son barracks, awaiting the examination
before court martial The charges and
specifications by Gen. Fremont with all
the correspondence accompanying, VIC
give below:
FIRST CHARGE.-Conduct unbecoming
an officer and gentleman.
'Spect fcatiom. That said Col. Frank
z. Blair, while acting as Colonel of the
first regiment Missouri Light Artillery,
then in the service of the United States,
and in the Western Department thereof,
did, at the city of St. Louis, in the State
of Missouri, on divers occasions between
the LIST and 10th day of September, 1861,
speak of and concerning Major General
j. q. Fremont, who was then the COM
manding general of said department, in
terms unbecoming an officer and gen
tleman, assailing his personal and official
character. charging him with inability
and ineiicicncy; that said Blair used bis
position as a member of the military
household of the commanding general to
give weight to his assaults.
Second Specification. That said Col.
Blair made secret charges against said
commanding general in letter which he
wrote on the first day of September, 1861,
to his brother, Montgomery Blair, Post
master General of the United States one
of the Presidents Cabinet officers, where
in he sought to effectuate the removal Of
said Commanding General. Said charges
were made, not TO the Secretary Of War
or the commander-in chief of the army,
but to the Postmaster General, his bro
Their; thus using his family relations with
the Cabinet to get secret, insidious, un-
sustained and ungentlemanly charges
against said commanding general before
the President Of the United States, his
purpose being to have appointed, With
out consultation with the military author
tiles, commissioner 10 investigate the
affairs and management Of said Western
Department, to be directed by and to
consist in part of the brother of said
Col. Blair, the accuser.
That said vexatious and harrassine
proceedings we're calculated TO, and did
in-part disturb the Presidents confidence
in said Commanding General and the
administration of the affairs of said Wes-
tern Department.
That SAID Col Bloir's course olso i'm
paired and paralyzed the efficiency Of
said military department.
Third Specification. That said Col.
Blair wrote said letters to his brother,
Montgomery Blair, for the purpose Of
efccting the removal of his said Com
handing General, without afording him
an opportunity Of defense.
CHARGE SECOND. That said Colonel
Frank =. Blair, while acting as the Col
onel Of tho first regiment Missouri Light
Artillery, while in the service Of the
army Of the United States, and in the
Western Department thereof, wrote and
carried, to be published over his own
signature, 10 the Missouri Democrat, an
article on the subject Of said Blair's ar
rest, to answer the charges herein pre-
ferred against him, in which article oc-
ours the following language, viz: 81
assure you (meaning the editors Of said
newspaper whether you believe me or
not that do not even shrink from the
pompous threats which appear in your
columns, but whose unfamiliar garb be-
trays another origin !" which eaid article
was written and published y aid Blair
for the purpose Of aud viii Ie i1lent to
convey the unjust and falsel ppressicu
sgrgnofed BY nv n
II I