Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-11-08
Adj't. Gen. Thomas Report ON
ErenOnt'S Case

AdUt. Gen Thomas Report ON
/ EremOnrs Case.
From the lengthy report of Adjutant- Gen
eral Thomas to the Secretary of War, on the
military management of the Western Depart
;. ment, we make the following extracts relative
to affairs in Missouri, under Gen. Fremont's
management. We are aware that Fremont's
apologists charge Adjt. Gen. Thomas with
personal malice towards Gen. Fremont. 1t
will be SEEM however, that he makes state
ments that can be easily refuted if untrue.
These statements must satisfy every unbiased
;mind that there is something aUrong in the
Western Department.
We are obliged to condcnse considerable
portion of tie report in order to bring it into
our space. The Adjutant General, in address,
ing himself to Secretary Cameron, com
mences as follows:
We arrived at St. Louis, as you are aware,
at 81 A. NJ, Oct. II. After breakfast, rode to
Benton Barracks, above the city. On the
street leading to the camp passed a small field
work in course of construction. Found the
| camp of great extent, with extensive quar-
tiers. constructed of rough boards. Much has
been said of the large sums expended in their
erection: but some one mentioned that Gen.
McKinstry, principal Quartermaster, who
made the disbursements, gave the cost at 49,
OOO If so, it was judicious. The total cost
should be ascertained. Gen. Curtis was in
command Force present, l40 officers, 81
| 33S men, principally detachments, except the
| lst Iowa Cavalry-34 officers, 904 men
having horses, but without equipments.
Gen. Curtis said of Gen. Fremont that he
found no difficulty in getting access to him,
and when he presented business connected
with his command it was attended to. Gen.
! Fremont. however, never consulted him on
| military affairs, nor informed him of his plans
Gen, Curtis remarked that while he would
90 with freedom to Gen. Scott and express
his opinions, he would not dare to do so to
Gen. Fremont He deemed Gen. Fremont
UNEQUAL to the command of an army, and said
that he was no more bound by the law than
by the winds. He considered him to be I'M
equal to the command of the army In Missouri.
Here follows rumber of statements show
ing irregularities in the Quartermaster's and
Paymasters Departments. Payments were
often ordered verbally, and in one instance,
when the Paymaster objected, he was threat
ened with confinement by file of soldiers.
Fremont made some 200 irregular appoint
merits. Maj. Allen, Principal Quartermaster,
stated the Indebtedness of the Quarter
masters Department at ST. Louis to be 3d.
5o6 800 73- 100. 1t is the expressed belief of
many intelligc ut gentlemen in st. Louis that
Gen. Fremont las around him, and in his
staff, persons direc a.y or indirectly concerned
in furnishing supplies: Adjt Gen. Thomas
proceeds with his report as follows:
We examined the barra> cks in course OF con-
struction in ST. Louis near and around the
private house occupied by him as q 'Iir'efs-
the Brandt house, which, by theway, isr'nted
for IS 900 per aanum. These barracks ha~e
brick foundations and brick outer walls,
weather-boarded, and are sufficient as quar-
ters and stables for 900 men. Like those
of Camp Benton, these barracks were built by
contract on published proposals, They are
certainly more expensive and more perma-
nent than the quarters a temporary army
would require, and the precise cost of them,
though difficult to get at, should be ascer-
tanned.
A pontoon bridge has been erected across
the Ohio River by Gen Fremont, at Padu-
cab. A ferry boat, in Il region where such
boats are readily procured, would be just as
efficient and much less expensive.
Contracts, it will be seen, were given to in
dieiduals ithout resorting to advertisements
for bids, as is required by the law and the
army regulations.
Having received an intimation from anoth-
cr quarter of an improperly, | called on Capt.
Mckeever, a. A. G., for the facts, which he
gave me as follows: One week after the re-
ceipt of the Presidents order modifying Gen.
Fremonts proclamation relative to the cman
cipation of slaves Gen. Fremont, by a note
to Capt. McKeever, requested him to have 200
copies of the original Proclamation. and ad-
dress to the Army of the same date, printed
and sent to lronton, for the use
of Mai. Garrett, of the Indiana cavalry, for
distribution through the country. Capt. Nc
Keever had the copies printed and deliver
ed
We left st. Louis Oct. y, for Gen. Ere
mont's headquarters, at Upton, 16O miles
distant
As soon as l obtained view of the several
at Upton, expressed the opin-
ion that the forces there assembled could not
be moved, as scarcely any means of transpor
tation were visible. | saw Gen. Hunter, sec
ond in command, and conversed freely with
him. He stated that there was great confu-
sion and that Gen. Fremont was utterly in
that his own division was greatly
scattered, and the forces there present, defec
tive in many respects; that he himself re-
quired one hundred wagons, but that he was
under orders to march that day, and some of
his troops were already drawn out on the
road. Hfs cavalry regiment (Ellis) had hor
ses and Indifferent arms, but no equipments.
The men had to carry their cartridges in their
vest pockets, consequently on their first days
march from Jefferson City, in heavy rain
which fell, the cartridges were destroyed
This march to Upton (35 miics) was made on
q mud aoad, heavy and miry with rains, and
parallel to the railroad and but little distance
from it. The troops were directed by Gen.
Fremont to march without provisions or
and without transportation. A
violent rain storm come up, and the troops
were exposed to it all night, were without
food for "a hours, and when food was recev-
ed, the beef was found to be spoiled.
Gen. Hunter stated to me that he had just
received written report from one OF MS Col-
onels, informing him that but twenty out of
hundred of his guns would go off. These
were the guns procured by Gen. Fremont in
Europe. | win here state that Gen. Sherman,
at Louisville, made to me similar complaint
of the great inferiority of these European
guns. He had given the men orders to file
down the nipples. In conversation with Col.
Swords, Assistant Quarterinaster General at
Louisville, just from California, he stated that
Mr.. Selover, who was in Europe with Gen.
Fremont, wrote to some friend in San Fran
cisco that his share of the profits of the pur
chase of these arms was 100000.
When Gen. Hunter received. at Jefferson