The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-10-16
General John T.. FrenhO u t--.Ei,
Embarrassrne,ifs,P Prospects, kc.

From the Chicago Journal, Oct. 1st.
We have at last learned, from a most re.
liable source, history OF the embarrassment
that have impeded the movements Of Gen.
Fremont, the obstacles thrown into his path,
his present strength and intentions and we
trust that, without furnishing information
calculated to benefit the enemy, we may
give part Of it in justice to the General.
Having yeste rday, by accident, met the
confidential friend and law adviser of Gen.
Fremont, his counsel and partner in the
great Mariposa Mine case, F. Billings, Esq,
of San Francisco, Zone of the highly respect
able firm of Hal!eck. Peachy Billings, the
most eminent law firm on the Pacific,) who
Lad just returned from business visit of
three days to Gen. Fremont, during which
time he was the guest at his table and in full
confidential intercourse with him, the follow.
ing statements may be most implicitly re-
lied upon
In the first place, since Gen Fremont as
ion Of our army, his earnest cntreaties for
the necessaries OF his departmen: have been
slowly and carelessly replied to by the War
Department at Washington, and the atten-
ton which should have been entirely given
to him. to the movements of his army, has
been distracted by looking after the money
and the means to equip. clothe and prepare
that large body for action. OF arms, repeat.
edy called for, the supply has been wholly
inadequate, and many Of those furnished
were of the poorest quality. The guns for
the infantry are, large proportion of them,
Of the old fashioned smooth-bore muskets,
altered from flint lock to percussion cap, and
many of the regiments have almost m. .tinied
at being compelled to receive them. But
of these weapons, there is a deficiency of
numbers, ard all his entreaties for more guns
have been neglected His cavalry force is
almost entirely without sabres, pistols or
carbines and for this reason, he has been
compelled to order from Cincinnati large
supply of lances, weapon ponderous in
size, and to which none of our troops are
trained. So in all the other departments,
his acquisitions from Washington have been
neglected, delayed, or passed by, and he has
had TO 60 into the streets and on his own
ciedt purchase stockings, shirts, shoes, and
such things as are indispensable to his men;
and thus his time and attention have been
lri,tered away in looking after details. with
which he desired to have nothing to do, and
ought to have had nothing to do.
As to the spectators and jubbers around
him and on his staff, of which so much com
plant has been made, the most notorious Of
them all, Isaac @, Woods, late Of Adams &
Co.'S, Of San Francisco, man of great ca
paclty and indomitable energy, but some.
what tainted in reputation, was placed on
his staff at the urgent request Of Frank Blair
himself. Gen. Fremont had applied repeat
edly to the War Department to place in
charge Of the Commissariat and Quarter
masters Departments, at ST. Louis, their
own officers, and relieve him from all at
tcntion to those matters. Those requests
have been overlooked and disreyarded, and
he has been left, almost unaided, to raise
men. money, equipments, clothing and ma
terlals for war, with little, if any, assistance
or attention from the Department at Wash
ington, which seems entirely engrossed with
the opera ions under its own immediate eye
on the Potomac
While engaged in this Herculean task,
jealouSies and chickering's have grown up,
and Mr.. Blair and his quaudam friends have
set upon his tanks like hounds on stag,
and with an enemyin front, with an empty
Commissariat and Quartermaster's depart
ments, he has been called upon to advance
a large army to clear out Missouri, and pro-
tect the wide field Of operations in the West.
Nay, more than this; when he was just ready
to begin the work, and his troops were EN-.
barked, an order came calling from his force
six thousand Of his best organized and dis
ciplined troops for Washington. or some
other point, and they were taken away.
We make no charges. but it really looks as
If the War Department had actually intend.
ed to sacrifice Gen Fremont and his army.
He has now taken the field, with compar-
atively small force. to meet an army forty
thousand strong; the arms furnished him
being Of the poorest quality; his artillery
free small and not thoroughly equipped !;
with moral gloom over his army, caused
by the disasters of Lexington and Spring
field, and set upon by enemies in his rear
but he will end all this clamor by triumph.
ant victory, or fall on The field.
Gen. Fremont appreciates fully and pre-
cisely his situation. He knows that unless
he can achieve brilliant victory at once, no
matter what the embarrassments that SUR
round him, his hard earned reputation as
military man has gone forever and, stimu.
lated by this, and goaded as stag at BAY.
as may be seen from his letter, written just
before his departure, he will ''stake his for
tune on the hazard of the die" and disap.
point his enemies and cheer his friends,
within a short time, by brilliant victory, or
end his career forever.
We have an abiding faith in the capacity
Of Gen. Fremont. We have known him
well in California, and have listened by the
hour to the gallant Kit Carson, as he detailed