The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-03-18
FREMONT'S DEFENSE.

The defense Of G n. Fremont, before tn,
Congressional Conn ittco on the Conduct o
the War, has been printed. IT is necessarily
very elaborate and very lengthy. 1t consist
Of Gen. Fremonts statement and document
in proof of his positions. In his statemen
Gen. Fremont says that he was called to tn,
command Of tho Western Department in July
last.
1t comprehcnded Illinois, all the States ant
Territories west Of ihe Mississippi to The Rocky
Mountains, including New Mexico. No spO
cial instructions were given Gen. F. the OBJ
ject teing a descent Of the Mississippi. No
a line Of written instructions WAS given, anC
the details were left to Gen. Fs judgment. -
He left Washington for St. Louis the day fol
lowing the battle of Manassas, and he reach
cd ST. Louis on the 25th day of July.
At that time the Northwest was in disor
der. Gen. Harding was asking reinforce
ments for Cairo and the Southeast, and Gen
Lyon fo- Springfield and thc Southwest
General Fremont, in view of this state of af
fairs, asked Gen. Scott to be permitted to take
the field, which was granted, and without any
instructions. Missouri was rebellious in every
county, the State authority in confusion, St
Louis a rebel city the wealthy and influential
generally being friendly to secession.
There were few Federal troops in the fel6
the three months mems service was expiring
the troops wele unpaid, badly equipped and
there was q confederate force of nearly 10000
men on the Southern border Of the State.
Gen. Pope was in North Missouri with
nearly all of Frcmonts disposable force; Lyon
had at Springfield about 500, and General
Prentiss was holding Cairo with seven regi.
ments. Lyons men were mostly three months
men, their time about expiring; Prcntiss'
force was in the same condition.
The arms which Fremont had collected in
New York, sufficient to equip $4,000 men,
had been diverted TO Virginia; he had neithe'
arms, money nor Government credit; but
there was no lack Of volunteers. The state
ment goes on to say as fellows:
In this necessity | directed the use Of part
Of an unapproprated sum lying in the United
States Treasury, and reported the reason and
fact Of my conduct to the President in the fol.
lowing letter:
HEADQuARrERs WESTERN DEPARTMENT
tUnoficiall Sr. Louis, July 3Oth, 1861.
My DEAR SR:-You were kind enough to say
that occasion of sufficient gravity arose, might
send you privai" note
| have found this command in disorder, nearly
every county in an insurrectionary condition, and
the enemy advancing in force 10y different points Of
the southern frontier Within circle of 30 miles
around Gen Prentss, there are about 10000 of the
Confederate forces, and 5000 Tcnncsscan and Ar
kansas men, under Hardoc, well armed with rifles
are advancing upon lronton, OF these 1000 are
cavalry, which Yesterday morning Were within 81
hours march of lronton. Col Bland. who has been
scduced from this post, is falling back upon it.
have already reinforced it with one regiment sent
on another this morning, and fortified it, am hold
ing the railroad to lronton and that 10 Rolla Sc
curing our connections with the South Other
measures, which | am taking, will not trust TO n
letter, and write this only to inform YOU as to our
true condition, and to say that if can obtain the
material ald am expecting, you may feel secure
that the enemy will be driven out and the State re-
duccd Ia order. have ordered Gen. Pope back TO
North Missouri, of which he is now in command.
am sorcly pressed for want of arms ] have arrung.
ed with the Adams Express Company to bring me
everything with speed and will buy arms to-day in
New \ ork. Our troops have not been paid, aud
some regiments are in state Of uutiky, and the
men whose term of service j. expired generally r
fuse 70 enlist | lost fine regiment last nj ght from
inability Ia pay them portion of the money due
his regiment had been intended to move II criti
ical point last night. The Treasurer Of the United
States has here S30O,0OO entirely unaprropriated.-
applied to him yesterday for 600 for my Pay
81
not an hour for delay. There three courses open
to me. One to let the enemy possess himself of
of the strongest points in the State and threat
en- st. Louis, which Is insurrectlonary. Second: To
force loan from Secession banks here. Third: To
Use the money belonging to the Government. which
is in the Treasury here. OF course, / will neither
lose the State permit the enemy foot of advau
tage. | have infused energy aud activity into the
Department, and there is u thorough good spirit in
officers and men. This morning | will order the
L. Il. Al =
General Andrews, and viii send force to the Treas
ury to take the money, and will direct such pay
ments the eXigency requires. | will hazard eve
rythng for the defense Of the Department you have
confdcd to me, and trust TO you for support
With respect and regard, am yours truly,
j. Q. Fremont,
Major Gen. Commanding.
To the President Of the United States.
respectfully ask the attention Of the Com
mittee to this letter, because the Investiga.
ting Committee in their report, have made
this act serious charge against me, holding
me up to the reprobation Of the country, as
having acted in manner "arbi,rary and ille.
gal, dangerous to constitutional liberty and
in defiance Of law and superior authority
page 7s and page lI6.)
They further say that this act was "alarm.
ing, unjustifsble, and deserving he soverest
ceusure, especially as there was no pretense of
any military or other necessity to justify tits
Outrage"
That NJ reply was made to the above quo
ted letter, or objection made to the act, will
be sufficient TO satisfy the Committee that
was expected to do any act which in my
judgment the public service might require /;
or, to use tho words of Cabinet Minister iu
the confidence Of the Ad inistrati1n:
WASHINGTON, July PC, 1861.
DIAN GESEnAL:-I have two telcgrnms from you,
but find it impossible now to get any attention to
Missouri or Western matters from the authorities
here. You will have TO do the best you can, and
take all needful responsibility to defend and pro-
tect the people over whom you are specially set.
Yours truly, and ia haste, NJ BLAm.
ask the Committee to couple the facts
Sc, out in these letters, aud the distress of
General Lyon for want Of money with which
TO retain his troops, with the consure Of the
Committee.
With what has been said concerning the
situation of affairs in Missouri, glance at the