, 1861-11-01
GEN. FREMONT, GRN. LYON, COL. 4ULLf-
Report OF Adjutant-Eenera1 TAomAx
To 11le secretary of War.

1ENA TkEmUA&, NfNs A1fNg VILE 4GkxAA-
GAN.
OF Adjutent-Genera1 Thomas
TO 11le Secretary Of War.
From the lengthy report Of Adjutant- Gen.
eral Thomas to the Secretary Of War, on the
military management of the Western Depart.
nent, We make the following extract relative
10 the loss Of the armies Of Gen. Lion and
Gel Mul1igan:
Gen Lyon demands notice. Gen. Fremont
arrived at St. Louis on the 2Gth Of July, called
tht1e f1on New York by Geographic dis
patch stating that Gen Lyon WIS threatened
with destruction By so 600 rebels. At this
tme Gen Pope hsd nine inc, REGIMENTS t9 IN S9Tta
fosce. Tho Confederate forces In the State
we're those under Price aud McCuI1och, near
Spring field, in Southwest Missouri, and those
uneer Pillow, yenT Thompson, and .Hardee,
in Southeast Missouri
Two Regiments held Ro11a, near the termi-
nus Of the Southwestern branch Ct the Pacific
K.ilzcad, while Jefferson City, Boonvi1le, Lax
II gtcn and Kansas City had each garrison Of
SO or 400 men behind entrencoments. Cairo
and Binds Point were fortified, aud defended
Girardeau were fortified aftex Gen. Frenont's
a1rivs1) ALL these places c661d be re inforced |
BY railroad and river iIom6t Louis and North
western Ssatee, and could hold out TIL re-iu-
forced, even IT attacked BY superior force
On his arrival in St. Louis, Gen. Fremont
was met by Capt. Cayender, LIST Missouri, and |
Msjo1 Fat1ar, aid. .ae-camp to Gen. Lyon, with |
statements from the latter, and requests for |
1e-anforeements; Major Phelps, Ii &C., from !
sprlr gaeld, Dr. miller Of Omaha, and many |
other citizens, having ample means Of infor- |
nation, made the same Representations, and |
urged the sending Of Te-inforeements. To |
Governor Gamble, Gen. Fremont said, "Gen.
Lyon Is rs strong as any other officer in this
line" He failed 10 strengthen Lyon, and the
ceeult, as is well known, was the defeat of
that most gallant officer. The two regimeats
al RolIa sbould have been pushed forward,
and the whole OF Pope's nine regiments
brought BY rail to St. Louis and Rol!a, and
thence sent to Lyons force Any other Gen.
<ral in such IN emergency would have pursued
this obvious course.
The battle Of Springfield (or more strictly
Wilson'S Cretk}-one OF the most desperate
tver fought On this continent place
Aug. 10, when the brave Lyon fell, and the
troops bore down by greatly superior num-
bers we16 obliged to fall back, but were un-
pursued BY s badly beaten Toe.
Gen- Fremont called four regiments from
North Missouri, and went with them to Cairo.
I 1t is evident that he had no intention OF re-
! lntotciDg Gen. Lyon, for the two regiments at
Rolla, 1856 miles only from Springfield, re-
| piled with transp 4ation, and thirty or forty
hire6 wagons, Just returded from Springfield,
we're discharged at Ro1,a, Aug. 4, seven days
before the battle, and we're returned to st.
! Louis.
Attur the news Of the battle had reached St
Louis, four other regiments were drawn from
Pope in North Missouri, and sent to Rolla.
Better to have called In these troops before
the battle, as sitter the battle the whole reyo
lusiona1y clements we're let loose. The six
regiments accomplished nothing They were
rot ordered to advance and cover the retreat
If L, on'e army. although it was supposed in
St. Louis that Price and A"Culloch we're fol.
1cwllg il, and that Hardee had moved up to
tuteH his retreat On the Gasconade-
An advance Of three regiments would have
Enabled the army to retrace its steps, and to
tt at the forces OF Price and McCuIoch so bad.
j that they would have been unable to follow
cur force IN thtir retreat It is said that ev.
cry officer in Lycns army expected to meet
Jkintn1 ctnentE, ard to return with them, and
d1iYe Price SID a1cCnlloch from the South
vest.
Ger. Hurter arrived at st. Louis from Chi
cago, called thitheT on suggestion from
NtEhingt Ion, as a1 adviser. Gen. Fremont sub
ln1ttd to Inn for consideration AID advice {
paper calltd Dispositions for Ketaking
Sprirg gf1eld." It sets out with q statement
that Springfield is the Strong stragetica
point OF that vide elevation which SEPARATES
the waters Of the Ossge from those Of tht
Arkansas, the key to the whole Southw westerI
Missouri, commanding an area Of nearly G0, ,00(
1ni'es: Why did not this enter the brain o
| the bfsjor General before the fall Of Lyon, ani
he st1n,n every nerve to hold that imporkan
: KY r L1sTos.tt -itA7 -
, Gen. Hunter, in answer to the paper, re
, Piled, why march on Springfield, whert
{ | there is no enemy, and nothing to take? Le
. ne rather take tie troops and proceed to Lex
J, ipgton, in which direction Price Vas march
: ing, and where he expected to be Joined b
$1,000 rebels" Instead Of this he was sent t
t Rolla, without instructions, and RENAME
0 there until ordered to Jefferson City, sti
4 without Instructions, and thence to Tlpto1
. where we found him. {see exhibit. No 13.}
r No steps having been taken BY Gen. FIR
q mont to meet Price in the field he moved TO
e ward bis line Of march, plainly indicating hi
e intention Of proceeding to Lexington. Whe
e ten OF more days, evidently expecting TIL
n | some movement would be made against hin
0 | None being made, he advanced, and, with
j. much superior force, laid siege to Lexington
e which IVES defended by Malligan with 2,7'
d men, on the 18th Of September, and capture
c 1t IN nlne da5e thereafter. on the list Of Se
timber.
Now for the fncts to show that this catastr
+ phe could have been prevented, and Prics
- army destroyed before or after that disastrol
u affair; Before Price got to Lexington, Il
~ ~ Jef1ereon City, $500; at Rolla, 1000; alo1
u, "a the Hannibal and st Joseph Railroad, abo
a. 5000; on the western line Of Nilsson
~ uncer Lane, down near Fort Scott, 2O
30 80 Mulltgan's force at Lexington, 2,10
-. ue large force in Illinois, along the III
- siBtippi River and On the Iowa line. Outsl
te. of ST. Louis were soMe 1900; in ST. Lot
w. i:ssH, 5000. Say, however, that there We
cn1y 10000 there. Hunters plan up to St
I day, Septic, Was to concentrate from st, Lou
n- Jefferson City, and Rolla, also from the HI
o1 relieve Mull'gan. He said that If Plice =
b { eoldieT, Lexington va: already fallen; t
N. with energy, Price could be csptur ed, With
=, mis- baggage and plumber. The objection
an Ibis that may be urged-that there Was
no transportatlon-ls an idle one The Iailrd
er~ and the river were ut command, and the MAJ
1cm Secalia was only As miles loag.
=. force could, Gen. Hunter supposed, be thro
~ into Lexington By Thursday, and, as it appes
Man M before it Eas taken.
,ea ~. Gtu- Fremont ordered Sturgis IN North
~ ~ eouri to Lexington, and by crossing the ri
a.a a.a TO- reinforce Mulli2an. sturgis had o
& eS* 100 men, and On reaching the river oppo:
'Sa | tie town, found it commanded by Price,
'! !es OF course Vas compelled to fall back. Hunt
II II plsn # moving these troops was to strike
sls' listr at point below Lexington in our c
M ~" t,ol, 10 cross it. and march upon the town.
" sLs. the interview with Gen Fremont, the q:
nus ticn was aeked, whether any orders had b
L~o given to reinforce 3Iul1igan, and the re
tae beiIg in the Negative, Gen. Hunter suEges
~ orders to Sturgis; and, had the order t
on betn given by telegraph, he would
Lses re: ched the river before Price had taken
tae T.. session Of the north bank and could
1et c1oseed. Tie order Hns not given until Il
,.!!t days after this interview. The loss Of t
1aAs was fata1.
~ a Mu11igan was ordered from Jefferson
ooa Then gar1isoned with 5000 troops, with
sesS Cne regiment, and With that to hold Lei
LLs. ten until he could be relieved. When 1e1
qes1 ae ton fell, Price had under his command q
= lon. men, and his fo1ce vas receiving daily
= VI menfations from tie diea1fected in the 8
@ aus- He Vas permitted to gather much plu1
seu' and to fall back toward Arkan sas unmole
!usas ass until was at Upton on the 18th Of Oct
LUG WHEN the accounts we're that he Was cro
= . ~ the Usage.
,som 4 CIsAx Case Of Fraud.
H. It is related by one Of the dispatches
na = the battlefield 1t Edwards's Ferry, that
fsndd our brave boys were trying to make thela
ete1y 1s1 '9s ssp nto ~ @htsp ao anr -,
the with sLitf employed himself the whole
n;ct In ftEzyirg over the fugitiyes- He succe
1anft in this way, in saving the lives, or in sec
haTe the escape, at least, Of no less than one
j, =, - dred peiEops. His master su the Whils
.bat probably OF the Virginin shore trying to
is.i1. ! Mimic ball into the hearts Of our men.
) snd Now, IS the service" Of this fellow di
z5s1d. t.lcng to himself, but his master, what
70 re- Lad he TO lend bis labor to our suf
[ soldiers Was he mt 6efraudipp lia OF