New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-04


in servee, bu, the destuon Of their families, made
20 by their absence ana failure ~ receive the pay
due them, rendered tIis impossible. In thu necessity
] directed the use Of part Of nm unapproprated SUN
lying in ,he Uuited States Treasury. and reported
tbe and fact OF my conduct 70 the President in
the following letter:
HEApQUAErEKs WESTERN DEPARTMENT.
Unofficial ST. Lore. July ~ 1861.
Ny DEAN sra: You were Kind enough 10 ssy that a. oecs
sion' OF suhci7n granny arose, might send you private
note.
bsye found this in disorder nearly every county
In OIL sre,onay condi lon and the my advancing IN
force D. different points OF the Southern fontier Within
CT re Of - miles around Gen Prenis, there about l2O
oithe tonf derae forces and 600 r.uneeans and Arkansas
mon ande- HNoes, well AIMED with rAea se advancing
upon ltonton Oh these COZ cavalry, which yesterday
morning were within "a hours march OF rOu'on CL Bland
VINO had been 'educsd from this post is falling back upon It
sent on another this morning, and fortified 1t.
am holding The railroad TO ifonton aud hat to ko 20 Sc
which am taxing, vii not trust to letter, aud write this
obtain the material aid expecting you may feel
secure that the will De driven out AID the state ednc
ed to order have ordered Gen Pope back to North Mis-
sour of which be L. In command. sorey pressed
foT vtnt Il arms. have arranged with Adamss Express Co
bring me everything with speed AID wi Buy arms to-day
in NewNork OuTu0 ps have not been psj and req
Eeryic. t. sIpred generally refuse TO ens TO-. fine reg
nent IS. night rom Inability TO pay them portion OF the
money doe The regiment had heeD Intended u move on
ha. here tO entirely uuapgropri4ed applied to him
yesterday for 4ioc coo for my Andrews
boz was refused We have hour for delay. There
three open One 10 let the enemy possess hu'
self Of Of the strongest points in the Ss,e ADD threaten
ST Louis " hi h il Second To force loan
from Secession hsnss here Id ths money belonging
TO the Government which III the Treasury here vi cour'
will neither To-. he sate nor permit b, enemy foot oil adj
vantage have infused euersy nd activity into tie depart
men and there is thorough god spirit m ON eI sna men
This morning viii order tue Treasurer to denver the money
his to Gen Andrews ard win send force to the
Treasury to lake the money and VIII dtct uee p"!nen
defens. the Department have coahded to me and
Irust TO sou or supp,rt
WIN 'e'0'' j. I.a C. 'fRfMoS} Msj Cen. Commanding
To The President or rns UNIFIED SiArss
/ respectfully ark the attention OF the Committee
10 this letter. because the Investigating Committee
in their report have made this act serious charge
against me, holding up 10 the reprobstion OF the
country, as having acted in manner arbitrary and
Illegal, dangerous 10 constitutional liberty and IN
de lance OF law aud superior authority'-lPage -
and page No.
They further say tina, this act WAS " alarming I'M
iusiable and deserving severe-t ceDsurc, especially
Us there was DO preiense Of any military or other
necessity to justify this outrage
| That no reply was made 10 the sboys-quoted let
ter OF objection made to the act will be sufficient to
satisfy the Committee that wac expected to do any
act which III my judgment the public service might
require; or 10 uso the words of Cabinet Minister III
| tie confidence of the Administration:
| W,.nSsTov. July 2e, 1861.
| DsR GrSERu: lhsye two i."rrsns rom you' but hnd
possible get attention 10 Missouri OF Western
matters from the suihont.e hIe You will have to DO th.
best you snd tale all tu responsibility 70 d'esd and
pTotec! .he people over "hom you are sPecAly SET
| Yours truly AID In haste. NJ BLAIR.
ask the Committee TO compile the facts set out in
these letters and the distress OF Gen. Lyon for want
Of money with which retain his troops, with the
censnre Of the Committee
With what has been said concerning the situation
OF ailairs in Missouri glance at the map will make
il apparent that Cairo the point which fret de-
inanded attention. Thc force under Gen. Lyon could
retreat but the position s Cairo could not be aban-
doued-tLe question Of holding Cairo was one which
involved the safeiy Of tue whole North-West. Had
Tie taking OF 81. Lops followed the defeat e Names
sas tie dss ser at have been irre'ycvsbe, while
the loss Of SpriD, ied thoald army be compelled
10 fall back upon Rolla would only carry with II the
loss Of par of Ms.ouri-s loss greatly TO be re-
eretied but moi irrefrievable. Having REINFORCED
Cape Girardeau and lronton by the utmost eXertons
s,eceeded in get ing together ana embarking with
force Of 3 500 men i've days after my arrival in 81
Louie
! From 81, Ioui, 10 Cairo was an easy days jour-
new by water, and transportation abundant. Io
Springfield was a weeks march, aud before could
have reached il, Cairo wonld have been taken, and
with il, believe ST. Ions.
I On INV arrival at Cairo. found the force under
Gen. Prept.. reduced to 300 men, consisting main
" Of regiment which had agreed 10 await my ar
rival.
A few miles below-a, New Madrd-Gen Pillow
Lad landed a force osinated al 20 900, which suh-e-
quent events showed was moi exaggerated. ga
force. greatly increased % the enemy by rnuors
drove him to "a hssty retreat and permanently &C.
cured the position. To these facts the accompanying
ppers and the testimony % Gen. Prenrss ana DINER
officers il offered 10 tho Committee
I,.tnrued 10 81. J. ouis Oh the 4h Augud having III
the meantime ordered Colonel sephensons regiment
f,on Booneyille. and Colonel Montgomery from kan-
-. TO march 10 the relief of Gen. Lyon.
Immediately uron my return from Caro- l Pet my
elf q, work. amid ncesaant demands upon my time
from every quarter principally 70 provide re-enorce-
ments for Gen. Lyon.
do not accept Springfield a. disaster belonging
70 nv administration. Causes wholly out Of my
Jurisdiction had already prepared the defeat OF Gen
LYON. before my aniyai at St. Louis. Ills letter 10
me of the 9th August, with other papers annexed,
viii shog that was already in communication with
him and that he knew his wants were being pro-
vided for. II will be seen that had all reasonable
expectations d being able TO relieve him in time and
had he been able TO adhere to tho corse indicated in
his letter, a very short tine would have found hiin
efficiently sustained:
sPniNeYIEID RIO, An. o. 1851
GENERAL: bsve Just received your note Of tho 6n Inst