Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1861-10-03
me Lexington Dfsastef--x Defence OF

i s IFrom the souss Bead Registerl
i Aitereightdsys of rs gallant fighting
. as doubiless wss eve seen on American
soil. Mnlligan and his brave soldiers. less
than three thousand in number, were fore
ed last Friday to surrender to Price. who
with an Prmyof $1,000 to- $4,000 had
been besieging them in their Notifications.
sflsey had been out of water fortwo days.
and their ammunition was nearly exhaust
ed. Yet the hcro;c Mulligan refused even
then to surrender; but, being wounded in
the leg. the Missouri Home Guards. who
had acted cowsrdly. compelled the surrcn-
der. Mulligan. however. unconquerable
to the last. refused to give up his sword
till it was taken from him by main force.
The Chicago TribuJse. which. for the last
fortnight, has been vinlicating Gen. FIRE.
mont against his assailants. now. indig-
nant at this reverse, favors his removal
We had not intended to allude publicly to
some facts that happen to be in our pos
session. bit we think the public interest
will not now be jeopardized by referring to
them.
Fremont has had four rebel armies in
the field against him. besides smaller divis-
ions. Price threatening Lexington with
Is. 900; McCulloch threatening Rolla and
Jefferson City with $4,000: Hardee with
an unknown number threatening 1ronton;
Polk and Pillow with &c. 900 at Columbus,
KY. and with the United States forces at
Psducah and Cairo. inferior in numbers to
them. Besides these are Martin Green.
Jeff Thomson. and others with smaller
armies. mainly drawn from Home rebels.
In all not less than SO. 900 have been in
the field against him, a large number Of
them from Arkansas. Tennessee. MISSISSIPPI
pi and Texas--nearly as large a number
Is have been threatening Washington.
for the defence Of which. the whole country
has been called upon for reinforcemeuts.-
Yet McClelland has not been subjected to
the cruel charge of 'inefficiency." and we
are glad he has not been. Besides clear
ing North Missouri of the rebels. Fremont
had the following points to defend: Lex
ington, Rolla, 1.-THE termins OF the south
west branch of the Pacific Railroad Jeffer-
son City, 1.-THE capitol) St. Louis. Ironton.
| fthe terminus of the Iron Mountain rail-
road. Boonville, Cape Girardeau. on the
Mississippi River. Biri's Point. Norfolk.
Fort Holt ION the Kentucky side of the
river. south of Cairo. and guarding the APP
proach to It. and Paducah. which COM
mands the month of the Cumberland and
Tennessee Rivers. How large o force he
has at his command to. hold these points
and also to fight these opposing armies.
we do not feel at liberty to state
Again. is well known at 81. Louis
that he had all his plans laid some time
since, for surrounding and taking Martin
Green. while in North Missouri The in
toxication Of an U. s. Brigader General
frustrated them, and allowed him to es-
cape Another movement was Immediate
ly planned. which by bold and success
iul dash in the west, would have probably
broken up the rebel army on the Potomac
in their anxiety for their homes. The regi-
iments from Indiana and Wisconsin. on
which he relied to swell the numbers Of
his attacking party. where Just at this time
ordered East. which en,lcd that movement.
Then Price advanced towards Lexington,
and then orders were already prepared for
the concentration of sufficient troops to
reinforce Mulligan and capture the rebel
army. just then came the order from
Washington for 5000 Of his best srmed
and equipped troops to be sent thither inn
mediatly. and they accordingly went East
instead OF West We know what his feel
ings were when he received the order
We were there at the time. and he said:
Washington. ifin danger. must be saved.
even if the West is lost and myself de-
stroyed." But reinforcements were ordered
to Muliigan. Why those which left North
Missouri by his orders. five days before
the surrender. did not arrive. no one
yet knows. Those which left Jefferson
City two days before the surrender. on
steamers, were compelled. doubtless, to
proceed slowly and cautiously up the riv-
err, and the messenger to Lane lin kansas
may not have reached him.
We do not allude to these things as the
apologist for Gen. Fremont or any one else.
We are no mans partisan IN this contest
and the officer, who. having sufficient troops
allows his couutry's cause to be defeated.
we wonld have displaced If be were oui
nearest and dearest friend. To show. how
ever, how the number Of his troops have
been exaggerated. even by those on the
spot we would state that while we were
in St. Louis. two Of the highest provisional
State officers told ms that there were 20. 1000
troops in that city. and that half OF them at
least could be spared. and should be sent.
with others from other points. after Price.
So we thought too. AMI so told the Gen
eral. He handed us the muster roll Of. all
the United States troops in and around ST.
Louis on that day. num5sring barely s. 600.
composed of two full regiments. and a
aumber of frsgmentsry ones. Aftcr that
he received the order for troops to be sent
} to Washington. ..e.
We would not alIude to these figures
} even at this time. nearly two weeks after
wards, had it not been that st. Louis has
since been reinforced by fresh troops from
, Illinois; but it may answer some of the
{ questions OF, the Tribune Even the Is
. raelites could not make bricks without
straw. ''f .''ia '"
. ~ For the second regiment TO be raised