, 1862-03-08

0NA Sk209Q 1QrC6 ESL1mateQ &E AQ,up,
Nhac1 e9bsequent events showed Was not ex.
agggcrted. Our force, greatly increased to the
enemy By rumors, drove him to hasty re-
treat, md permanently secured the position.
10 the9e facts the accompanying papers and
the testimony of Gen Prentiss mud other Off,
GERS ie offered to the Committee.
returned to It. Louis on the 4th Of August,
sons regiment: from Boonvi1le, and Colonel
montgomery, from Kansas, to march to the
relief of Gen. Lyon - -"
Immediately upon my return from Cairo, j
set myself ut work, amid incessant demands
upon my time from every quarter, principally
do not accept Springfield as disaster be.
longing to my administration. Causes wholly
out Of my jurisdiction had already prepared
the defeat Of Gen. Lyon, before 1ny arrival at
st. Louis. His letter to me Of the 9Th August,
with other papers annexed, will show tint.
that he knew his wants were being provided
for. It will be seen TINT had ali Reasonable
expectations Of being able to relieve him in
time, and had he been able to adhere to the
course indicated In his letter, very short time
would have found him efficiently sustained:
srR,soF1EID, Mo., August 9. 1851.
GESEEAL:I have just received your note Of the
Oh inst by special messenger 'N~
Retired to this place, as have before informed
s99q, s9 \ Iesfhing here On the 5th The enemy follow
strong position and Is recruiting bis Supplies oi
horEes, n,uics and provisions By foraees into thc
surrounding country; his large force OF mounted
men enabling him to do this without much annoy
find my position extremely embarrassing. and
an at present unable to determine whether shall
BE able to maintain py ground or forced TO retire
enemy move to surround me must retire. /
shall hold my ground - long as possible, thoach
nay, ~ without showing howfar, endanger the Gafe-
yE.i$11 3%a
nelDE muuced; by the important considerations
involved, to take this step. The enemy Yesterday
made show Of force about fire miles distant, and
has doubtless full purpose Of making an attack
upon me.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
,,o.. q. L1oI, Brig Gen Vols. Cong.
ern Department, St. Louis, Mo.
, Upon the 10Th Of August General Lyon was
killed in battle.
The charge that Gen. Lyon had in an7 way
suffered from my neglect was surprise upon
me- heard nothing Of it at the time, and be-
leve it to have been an after thought. Fur
ther to dlsproye it, in connection with what
has been said above, refer 10 the statements
Of Adjutant Generals Harding and Kelton,
throug h whose hands the business Of The De.
partnlent at that time passed. Col Harding
was Gen. Lyons Ad}ntant General, charged
with the management Of affairs in Missouri
during his absence.
Iii Liz leLleF fclefTfd TO, he says:
Gen; Fremont aras not 1nattentive to the situa-
remove the garrison Of Bonneville, In order to
send him aid During the 11rst days Of August,
troops aHiyed in the city In large numbers. Near.
transportation. Regiment alter regiment laid for
days in the city, without any equipments, for tie
reason thst the Arsenal was exhausted and arms
and accoutrements had to be brought from the
East From these men Gen. Lyon would have had
fent0rcements, although they were wholly uu-
practised II the nee of the musket and knew moth
ing OF movements in the field; but In the mean
CHESTER HARDING, JR
Late Asst Adj. Gen. upon staff OF Brig Gen Lyon.
It was under this great necessity, greater
than which is not likely to occur during this
war ard to provide among other demands :
relief for General Iyen-that on the 9Th Of
August I made the purchase Of Austrian guns,
for which !: ! am censured by. a Committee
charged to stinyestigate frauds. .''-(Pagc 4O.]
labstain from pursuing this subject further
than to say that although it was good arm,
the arm itself VAS not 4 matter OF choice, as
this telegram will show:
ST. LOUIS, July %, 1861.
To Aajor Hagner, Fifth avenue Hotel, New York :
The Agent Of Adamss Express Company here
directed to Send 'y 5ea haTs haes
Company wil provide. Your letter Of 21th rsceiy.
ed. there were no arms at the Arsenal here to
meet the order given for the 5000. We must have
asns-any arms. no matter what.
j. c. FREMONT, Naj- Gen. Con'g ". D.
Twelve thousand had been in service, thir-
teen Thousand were new. They were pcrcus-
sion maskets-st lid and strong pronounced
by Austrian officers to be considered, in that
service, q good weapon; preferred by Gen.
Asboth for his division, in their unaltered
condition, and Werc in the hands of some of
ny best regiments at Springfield, and scatter
frp1 x~nr1r .141 -.
the Committee say "they were not in nse."
think it due to myself to say that this Com
mlttee came to st. Louis during my absence
IN the field, and no notice was at any tiuc
given me that my military acts were to be
brought under examination, nor has any COPY
Of the testimony, collected during their pro
ceeGlDge, been furnished ME, of which might
avail myself in reply.
On the 18th Of August intelligence of the
battle of Wilson's Creek reached mc at St,
Lc11s. expected an immediate advance by
the enemy. I informed the President and the
Goyernors Of the neighboring States, request
ing that all the dizposahIe force that could be
spared should be sent at once to Missouri
fortunately dissension in the camp of the
enemy prevented them from using that sue
cess, and gave time, which used, to carry on
as rapidly as possible the plan had adopted
tor the defense Of the State. This was to for
liy Girardcou, lfonton, Rolla and Jefferson
places with sufficient garriBons, and leaving
the army free for operations in the field. It
certainly seems superhueus to speak Of the
Importance Of st. Louis, but as the expedi-
ency Of fortifying it has been question
Cd. it may be well to remind the Committee
that it was the first military position in the
Western Department. Many of the things I
an required to prove arc as selfevidcnt as
this st. Louis, then, is situated on the great
highway Of The Mississippi River ut a Joint
where 1t :s crossed By allIthe principal roads
from the East, having itself seven different
lines ot communication to the interior aud
opposite ends Of the State; that it is the great
center Of politics and trade, and the object to
which the efforts Of the enemy were constant
u directed and invited by tile powerful and
wealthy portions Of the citizens. 1t was Ger
talnly prudent to render permanently secure,
6eJond the reach Of contingency, this great
depot Tor supplies and reserves, and safe re-
disaster. :
The importance Of fortifying st. Louis had
carly occupied the attention of General Lyon,
who had decided upon a plan much the same
as that now adopted, and under the advice OF
the same officer by whom the present sites
were selected, but which be was unable to car
~ ont.
The necessity Of these Notifications we're
coEcurred in by officers Of unimpeachable 10y
atty and capacity. And such also vas the
Judgment Of the 1o1a Inhabitants, TO whom
they gaye, for the first time, 4 sense of rro-
tce,iou and security. They we're laid ont with
view to command the city Itself, as we'll as
the approaches to It, The defenses which rest
upon st. Louis constitutes the dyke which
separates the South from the Northwest. 1t
Is easy, aftera precaution has been successful.
to say that it vas not needed. I did not
choose TO expose myself to the chance of q
neglect either at st. Louis or Paducah-for
both Of which have been censured, and with
equal ignorance in either case. The unfair-
ness Of this attack consists in Judging what
was necessary sbr st. Louis then By its con
dltion when left the department,
ask the Committee to bear in mind that
the plan for the defense Of the State, and nv
operations generally, were all conducted in
reference to the descent Of the Mississippi, to
the defense Of st. Louis, after the Withdrawal
Of the army, five regiments Of infantry, with
one battalion Of cavalry, and two batteries of
artillery, were considered amply sufficient
1t has been objected that did not employ
The troops Under my command, instead Of
hired labor, for this work. I did this in the
exercise Of my Judgment. did not consider
IN Wo'k OF this magnitude, involving SO
much labor and exposure. The hot suns and
heavy night dews Of the unhealthy months Of
august and September need to be avoided in
that climate: The troops were SO little ac
quainted With arms that all their time was
the other hand, the employment Of hired labor
was Of great service in tranquiGziug the city,
and relieving the widespread distress the war
had entailed on it, and which private charity
had exhausted itself IN endeayoring to relieve
Concerning the contract for this work, the
Committee Of Investigation say that it was
made under the Especial order and direction
n an Ftof,, ,rYr$3 ! \ Al