Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-11-02

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been the subject Of official inquiry, and is now
the occasion of Executive deliberation, and OF
popular solicitude, / have made IL my business
to obtain, from various but reliable sources, In
formation from which the people, as jurors, may
safely render q. verdict 5ls7g ao1l.E .zonH
Il 10 coming, as Ihave, to conclusion uufavor-
able to General Fremont, IL is scarcely need
Efulto say that had, in doing 80, to .oonquer',
many "prejudices ''tDMy relations with Cen
eral Fremont have been intimate and pleasant
4 believe hin erninentiy upright and patriotic.
thought him well fitted for The high command
4 with which he was iuyested; and he went forth
with my heartfelt aspirations that he wonld
render good sergiee 10 our, country and win glory
10 Passing much that might be said, impuuRn.
ing the sense and taste Of General Fremont, and
conhning myself to accusations unden ably true
l slbmit to the readers OF the Journal some
facts which will show them how lamentably
favored General dsappoints the popular ex.
pectltion: aie.T II ~ rsst..
| When General Fremont reached 81. Louis
he took as his headquarters, house for which
the Government Is paying ak thousand dollars
o year. s.t.u g-egsi
He surrounded himself with O numerous staff,
none Of whom were residents of Missouri; or
ganzing, simultaneously. o body guard consist
ing OF nearly three hundred horsemen, through
which access to the Chief Is az difficult as the
approach to monarch in the darkest ages Of
despotism. ...---....
He has appointed and commissioned, without
the shadow of authority, more than fifty officers,
with the rank of Colonel, Lieut. Colonel, Major,
Captain, etc., etc.. Col. Andrews, the U0ited
States Paymaster was required to pay these Of
icers, and upon bis refusal to do so, was threat.
ened with Imprisonment. He was also directed
to make an illegal transfer of $l00, 900.
The officers belonging to Gen. Fremont's
staff are intereited in army contracts. Capt.
Haskall, an aid, is partner of Col. Degraf in
mule, hay and other contracts. .tB-el--a.1a.I
Capt. Turnly, United States Commissary,
was ordered TO receive and pay exorbitant prices
for inferior mules from Capt. Haskall, and upon
protesting against this wrong, was ordered
away from the post BY Gen. Fremont. 1sa
Capt. E. M. Davis, Of Gen. Fremonts staff,
received contract for blankets, which, on de.
livery, proved rotten and worthless, and though
condemned, we're paid Tor and sent TO the hos.
pitals, ,g -....
The muskets purchased BY Gen. Fremont in
France, are worthless.
After Gen. Meigs limitsd the price to be paid
for oats at thirty cents, corn as twenty-eieht
cents, ana hay at $l7 so, a contract vas made
with Baird & Palmer palmer, Cook g. Co., of
California notoriety), at thirty-three cents for
oats, thirty for corn, and $l9 for hay, amount.
log, in the aggregate, to 500 900. .a. -srls-
| Gen. Fremont, on his arrival at st. Louis,
was met by the Aid Of Gen. Lyon, accompanied
by Maj. Phelps, M. c., asking for reinforce
ments, which were not sent. s.
/ The Indebtedness of the Quartermaster's De-
partmeDt, for Gen. Fremont's command, is over
four millions and q hag l g. aaga --srr
\ This disastrous condition of things 10 attrib.
utable to the "malign influence" of Californi-
ans with whom Gen. Fremont became unfortu-
nately connected in mining operations, and
who hurried from the Pacific on learning tha
4 he was entrusted with high military command
i These ill.omened men, some or all of whom
left dark record in California, seemed Il
have obtained either voluntary or constrained
control of the QuarGermaster and Commissar,
Departments of Gen. Fremont's Military Dis
trict. The results and consequences are fata
/ alike 10 the inter eats of the country and the
usefulness and reputation of the Commanding
General. They impeach either his heAdyor biz
heart, and so far as he is practically concerned
| it Ia not material which, for whether wicked
or weak General, he is unified for go great q
| trust. o. 'A'-'' 80.
| Nor are these faults, grave as they are, the
only ones TO which he is obnoxious. The war Il
being prosecuted by the army under his com
4 mand in a way which recalls aud deepens the
horrors Of Vandalism. Without conquerine
traitors, he ia converting Union men into ene-
mics. His line Of march is marked and MEM
orized by spoliations and ravRges which disgrace
en- age Of civilization. We have letter dated
''Tipton, Mo-, Oct. 17th," from an intelligent,
observing, truthful friend, from which we take
the following extract: -
"From Upton to Warsaw the march was one
continuous devastation, without the least regard
| for principles or antecedents. One Union ma 4
who had kept FIVE sons from Joining the seces.
sion forces, had his place literally gutted, the
men of Asboth's and Sigel's divisions killed, on
his farm alone, forty sheep, three COWS, two
steers, and stealing eight horses. The cavalry
gslloped over prairies lassoing mules, and
shooting oxen, sheep and hogs, then chucked
them into their already overloaded wagons =
There 10 scarcely o feathered biped lett within
FIVE miles on either aide of their march; not q
whole looking-glass or an unrifed bureau, OF
blanket that has not been seized. For all this
there is no excuse, the army having an abund
ance of provisions and stores.
"The army has now reached Warsaw, dac
can Cduancs no farths aud NEVER WAS INTENDED
TO ADVANCE FURTHER. Price and his army are
to-day more than seventy miles ahead of ours
Fremont does not expect and never did eKpec
| to overtake him. ttA q -
| "Let the least disaster happen to US in front
| and not man will ever return to tell us the
| story-ior we shall leave behind us maddsned
beegared, famishing, freLzied population, II
1 which those who were Union men ten days ago,
! are to day our most bitter enemies" c -
Such license adds horrors to the legitimat,
i and unavoidable evils Of war. An army that
A leaves such remembrances along Its line oI
4 march will be forever execrated.
1 Il sad to record these things of youthful
General from whose career she country looked
Tor heroism tempered with humanity. Bu,
high as our hopes were Of Gen. Fremont, w
cannot afford, -when--whether from fault OF
misfortune--so much depends on the wisdom
and integrity Of Generals, TO be deceived
am, by the force Of evidence which cannot be
| resisted, constrained TO admit that he has
sixnally failed to discharge. with usefulness to
| the country or credit to himself, the duties ol
| his station. ---.----ssf-.----
| would gladly turn from this painful theme,
were il permitted, to a more cheerful one. But
we are oppressed by fresh calamity. The
battle of Balls Bluff, like that at Bull Run
was defeat and blunder. The defeat, wher,
two thousand troops, with all the conditions ant
surroundings against them engaged four thou
sand was unavoidable. OF the blundar | will
not epeak, because do not yet know who i
responsible for it. To those who were 10 tn,
battle. whether they survive, or t'sleep thei
last sleep," nothing bus honor and gratitude i
due, ta.r s,oy y,s..o,s-,t y y. ,.siallb .l,,dt.
4 I was with the President last evening whe
4 the brother, son and nephew Of the late Colone
Baker, who were With him, called to shoW BIZ
orders. These orders were on his person, an
were crimstned and consecrated BY his blocd.-