Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1862-10-31
GENERAL FREMONT-S SPEECH
At ST. LOUIS.

Monday night, General Fremont
was welcomed by a very large
crowd, to whom he made the
following speech:
Ny Good Friends of St. Louis.
| an, really glad to find myself
among YOU again. Naturally
NY mind goes back, seeing You
here, tothe tine and events out oil
which grew the friendly rela
tionS winch make the immediate
occasion for our meeting to-
night. The retrospect is fall 0
satistaction.~ When landed in
your city last Year, or the repre-
sentation of;hc Government. the
whlryeS. were silent and the
streets deserted. | met few and
gloomy faces, and no hands OF
iered me friendly welcome. No
Union flags frightened the sky.
0nd the city seemed to be in sui
Ten gloom as If pestlience brood
ed over it. But | had come here
tu,l OF hope that | would be able
to serve you-ardently desiring
to bring to their old ldallegIanec. as
quickly and happily as pos
sible, and before rebellion had
become war, those Of our people
who temporarily. | hoped, had
been estranged from their Gov
ernment.
You recognized the sincerity
Of my intentions and gave me
your cordial support, and as time
wore along in the busy Prepara-
tiOnS which centred at this spot,
the patriotic fervor which ANNA
ted us, became contagious. The
little knots which in the begin
nlng had gathered at this door,
grew rapidly larger, and in lew
weeks the thronglng battallons
which the brave West poured a
long the streets were received
with the cheers of welcoming
crowds, and the city DlOssOmed
like spting with the national
tlag.
Later, returning from the field
where my hopes of usefulness
were buried, oppressed by injus-
tice, under t!.c attempted humhIa-
ton OF subordlnateS seeking to
please power, | came upon the
unexpected and magnificent wei
come in which you gave vent to
your generous Indignation and
offered me your %armhearted
sympathy. Fixed in my mind
as one of the most grateful events
of my life is that night when,
withmy heart chilled aud con
iracted by the undcserycd severi-
y OF the Government, stood
here aud felt it glowing an! eX-
panding amidst che defening
cheers Of the friendly multitude
which filled this space. lleltre
bukcd that ] had Tor Il moment
doubted the inevitable justice OF
the people. Not unworthy a
place among the battle scenes 81
your State was the moment when
YOU opened your crowded mas,
that night to honor in it, passage
I the taltcred remnant OF that brave
Young guard winch made The
25lh of this month of Octobel
the anniversary Of a heroic deed
mention them here, not only
because they come up among tho
incidents OF that night bat he
cause they deserve to he held i.
circumference by you.
From their brilliant field o.
victory they returned to NEE
with humiliation, to bc dismiss
ed from service i'm the army o.
that country which they had
served so nobly, and to share u
the unmerlted severity wmcl
was visited upon all connec;c,
with ne in my brief admuistrl
tou. Oar patriotism was repal
srd, our services ignored, ana oa
labor repualated; our best meas
ures anuulled or su5yerted. ,h'
very work erected 70 defend th0
great interests that centre IN You
city declared I'll Judged and use
1 less. But tlnc has ALREADY
brought US some consultations
and 1t must have been A greo
one to YOU who were 60 aboref
with me when lately You read tn
order directing these torulica
tlon- to be put in complete e
quipment AMI rediness Tor scr
wee. And If it be irue thot d
the misfortune OF Our sbc-
trends there Is always somethiu
to pleas Us, You mus: hay
found pleasure in seeing the vio
o cnt haste in which your neigh
boring cities threw into IN
: building OF iortiicatIon-. whe
YOU were resting securely N th
r protection of your own. An
, then. too, in the case of the cit
! delences the repudiation was S