The national Republican., 1861-11-01
KENTUCKY,

Adjutant General Thomas's report Of Octo.
Der 2l relating principally to matters con
nected with General Fremont, comments also
upon the situation Of things in Kentucky. II
is not probable that this part of the report was
intended for the public eye, If, indeed, any of
1t was, and we certainly should not publish 1t
originally without permission from the War
Department, as 1t contains an exposure of the
extent of our forces In both Missouri and
Kentucky. But as 1t is already published in
the New York papers, it can do no harm to
republish it, and We therefore annex what is
said about Kentucky.
What is said about the loss Ct the arms sent
ing themselves Home Guards" will not oc
casion any general surprise. That distribution
Mas well intended by the Administration, aud
We know that they were advised to 1t by many
Union men in Kentucky, but there were
still other I" Union" men from Kentucky, who
insisted at the time that it was a hazardous
experiment, aud quite as likely to furnish the
rebellion with arms as the contrary.
The view of the temper of the Kentucky
population obtained by Gen. Thomas, is the
same as we gave to our readers many weeks
ago. While large majority of the voters
have voted for Union, q large majority of the
fighting men are for secession, and the State is
TO be saved by the military strength of the
adjoining free States, which is happily quite
sufficient for that purpose.
pho o,;n;on ooorhad IN fan Shoru,ap thaI
100000 men will be required, is very extra
ordinary one. Notimprobably if Gen. Sherman
WIS to speak himself he would accompany
that opinion with qualifications which would
materially change its character. He may have
been misunderstood by Gen. Thomas. He may
have intended to say that 100000 men were
necessary for operations OF which Kentucky
should be the base. We shall doubtless hear
from him in good time, but In the meanwhile it
is not coDsolatory to learn that an army, which
cannot be kept on foot one year at a less cost
than two hundred millions of dollars, is abso-
lutely necessary to save State which votes
two to one for he Union, and State too, to
conciliate which this Administration has done
20 much.
The reader will not fail to notice with ap-
probation what the Secretary of War is report
ed to have said upon the subject Of being
tired Of defensive ,oar." For ourselves, we
long ago got over being tired Of IT,"
The Secretary's reported orders to General
Sherman, "Hat tie Cumberland Ford and GAP
should be seized, and the East Tennessee and
Virginia Railroad talcen possession of, and ttt
mtery that supplied the rebellion cut straight off,
ara Of good omen, not only as respects Ken
lucky, but as respects the whole conduct Of the
war. They show that the Secretary is aroused
to the necessities of the case, and resolutely
bent upon carrying the war into Africa. Gen
Thomas says:
"We left Indianapolis Oct. l6, for Louis
vile, KY, where we arrived at 123 o'clock p
M, and had an interview with Gen. Sherman
commanding the department of Cumberland
He gave gloomy picture Of affairs in Ken
lucky, stating that the young men were gene.
rally secessionists, and had Joined the Confede-
rates, while the Union men, the aged and con
servatives, would not enroll themselves to en-
gage in conflict with their relations on the
other side. But few regiments Gould be raised
He said that Buckner was in advance Of Green
river with heavy force on the road to Louis
vile, and an attack might be daily expected
which, with the force he had, he would not be
able TO resist, but, nevertheless he would fight
them.
''He, as we'll as citizens Of the State, said that
the border States must furnish the troops 10