Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-03-14


nexed will show that / was already in com
munication with him, and that he knew his
wants were being provided for II will be
seen that had all reasonable expectations
of being able to relieve him in lime, and
had be been able to adhere 10 the course
indicated in his letter, very short time
would have found him efficiently sustained
SPRiNcFIrLD, Mo-, Aug. 0, 1861.
GESERAL:---I have Just received your note OF
the 9th inst, by special messenger.
/ retired TO this place, as | have before in
formed you, reaching here on the 9th. The en-
emy followed TO within ten miles Of here. He
has taken strong position and is recruiting his
supplies of horses, mules, and provisions by
forngus into the surrounding countryj his large
force Of mounted men enabling him to do this
without much annoyance from me.
find my position extremely. embarrassing,
and am at present unable TO determine whe.
ther 1 shall be able to maintain my ground or
forced to retire. l can resist any attack from the
front, but if the enemy move to surround me /
must retire. shall hold my ground as long as
possible, though / may, without knowing how
far, endanger tho safety of my entire force with
its valuable material, being induced, by the inn
portant consideration involved to take this step.
The enemy yesterday made a show of force
full purpose Of making an attack upon me.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
N. LYON, Brig. Gen. Vols Commanding.
Major General j. @. Fremont, Commanding
Western Department. st. Louis, Mo.
Upon the 10th of August General Lyon
was killed in battle.
The charges that Gen. Lyon had in any
way suffered from my neglect was a sur
prise to me. heard nothing of it at the
time, and believe it to be an after thought.
Further to disprove it, in connection with
what has been said above, refer to the
statements of Adjutant Generals Harding
and Kclton, through whose hands the bust.
ness Of the Department at that time passed
Colonel Harding was Gen. Lyons Adjutani
General, charged with the management Of
affairs in Missouri during his absense.
In the letter referred to, he says:
! Gen. Fremont tcds not inattentive to the stu
alton of Gen. Lyons command, and went so ia
rs to remove the garrison of Boonyille, in orde
to send him aid. During the first days of Au
gust, troops arrived in the city in large numbers
| Nearly all of them were unarmed; all wer
without transportation. Regiment after regi
ment laid for days in the city, without am
equipments for the reason that the Arsenal wa
exhausted and arms and accoutrements had {,
be brought from the East. From these mer
Gen. Lyon would have had reinforcements al
though they were wholly unpractised in the ust
of the musket and knew nothing of movements
in the field, but in the meantime the battle O
the 10th of August was fought.
CHESTER HARDING, Jr.
Late Assistant Adjutant General upon the stat
of Brig. Gen. Lyon.
It was under this great necessity, great
er one than which is not likely to occu
during this war, and to provide among 9th
er dcmands-relief for Gen. Lyon-that OIL
the 9th of August made the purchase O
Austrian guns, for which am censured b.
Committee charged 10 "investigate frauds.
l-(Page 4o.)
Your Committee will be enabled to judg
whether the purchase of these arms. at th
time, can be appropriately called ga man
fest improvidence."
abstain from pursuing this subject ful
ther than to say that although it was goo
arm, the arm itself was not matter {
choice, as this telegram will show:
ST: LOUIS, July 90, 1861.
To Major HAdSER, FIFTH Avenue Hotel, NJ Y,
The Agent of Adams Express Company her
has offered to bring me, by passenger train, an
arms directed to me. Send everything yo
have for me by passenger trains for which tn
Express will provide. Your letter of the 24t
is received There were no arms in the ArsenI
here to meet the order given for the 5000. W
must have arms-any arms, no matter what.
J. G. FREMONT, Maj. Gen. Cong W. D.
Twelve thousand had been in servic
thirteen thousand were new. They wer
percussion muskets-solid and strong
pronounced by Austrian officers 70 be con
sidercd, in that service, good weapon
preferred by Gen. Asboth Tor his division
in their uualtered condition, and were in th
hands of some of my best regiments a
Springfield, and scattered over the countr
in various corps, although tho Committe
say "Lhey were not in use." think it du
to myself to say that this Committee cam
to st. Louis during my absense in the iclC
and no notice was at any time given m
: that my military acts were to be bro't III
der examination, nor has any copy Of th
, testimony, collected during their proceed
ings, been furnished mc, Of which migl
avail myself in reply.
On the 18th of August intelligence
the battle of Wilson's Creek reached n
at Louis, In expectation of an immedia
advance by the enemy / informed Il
President and Goyernors's Of the neighbo
: ing States, requesting that all the disposI
Bile force that could be spared should /
! sent at once to Missouri. Fortunately, di
: sensions in the camp Of the enemy preVen
ell them from using that success, and gay
time, which l used, to carry on as rapid
y as possible the plan l had adopted for II
o defense of the State. This was to forti
5 Girardeau, Ironton, RollN, and JeffersC
, City, with ST. Louis as base, holdir
! these places with sufficient garrisOns, ar
leaving the army free for operations in Ii
Q field. 1t certainly seems super6uous
n speak of the importance of st. Louis, but
the expediency of fortifying it has bee
questioned, it may DO well to remind Il
: Committee that it was the first militia
d position in tho Western Department. Maj
Of the things ! am required to prove are
y selfevident as this. st. Louis, then, is s.
9 uated on the great highway of the Miss
! sippi River, at point where it is CROSS
) by all the principal roads from the eAi
/. having itself seven different lines Of co,
Q municaIion to the interior and opposi
ends Of the State; that il is the great &c
# ter Of politics and trade, and tho object
d which the efforts Of the enemy were co
b stantly directed and invited by the pow,
i full and wealthy rebel portions OF the cilizeI