The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1862-03-28
Gen. FrsmOnt's Defence.

hshes uenerai rfemonVs statement, pre-.
. senied 10 The Committee on the conduc,
ofthe war. 10 defence Of bis course while
I administering the military affairs OF The
: Western Department. II, with docu.
. mems, occupies eve closely printed pages
OF that journal. and Of course we can only
make brief synopsis Of so voluminous q
document - b. ''7
"Gen. Fremont was assigned 10 the
command in July last. The Departmen,
then comprised, with Illinois, all the States
!, and Territories west Of the. Mississippi
river 10 the hocky Mountains, Including
; New Mexico. He was furnished with no
plan Of a campaign. Full discretionary
powers were given bim. 'of the Illinois
Contingent Of troops. seven thousand were
r unarmed. Their cavalry was without
horses or sabres, tbeii artillery companies
bad hardly any guns. and were wholly
) without equipments tie procured On
order for seven thousand stand Of. arms.
The order wss countermanded on his ar
; rival at New York. On bis representa-.
tiou, Major Hagner was sent TO New York
10 aid him in procuring what he deemed
( necessary. With this aid, Gen. Fremont
arranged for arms and equipments to be
sent TO 81. Louis sufficient for the com.
pleie equipment Of an army corps ol
twenty.thres thousand men.
"He received permission from Gen.
Scott to take the field Immediately, and
reached bis command al ST. Louis on the
25th OF July. Missouri throughout was
N NoIs f.Na Al.
troops, few were then 10 the 6eld, the
term Of the three months men was then
expiring, and the rebels had Fifty thous-
and men on the southern frontier Of the
State. Gen. Pope was 10 Northern Mis-
, sisouri, with nearly all the dis2osabic
Federal troops. Gen. Lyon was at
Springfield, with seven thousand eigb,
J hundred Gen. Prenliss at Cairo with
seven regiments Lyons and Prenliss
men were nearly all three months men,
whose term Of enlistment was about ex-
piring. Arms aud money were wanted,
but men offered in abundance. The three
months men had not been paid. The
Home Guards we're willing TO remain in
the service, but their families were des,i.
tute. Gen. Fremont wrote to the Pfesi.
dent. stating his difficulties, and inform.
ing him that ho should peremtorily order
the United States Treasurer there to pay
over TO bis Paymas;er General the money
in his possession, sending force at the
same lime TO take the money He re.
ceived no reply, and assumed that his
purpose was approved.
"Five days sfter he arrived at st. Louis,
he went to Cairo. taking three thousand
eight hundred men for its reinforcement.
He says that Springfield was a weeks
march, and before be could have reached
it, Cairo would have been taken by The
rebels, and perhaps St. Louis. He re.
turned to St. Louis on the b of August,
having in the meantime ordered two reg.
iments 10 the relief of Gen. Lyon. and set
himself to work at St. Louis, TO provide
further reinforcements for him but he
claims that Lyons defeat cannot be
charged to his administration. and quotes
from letter from Gen. Lyon, dated on
the 9th Of August, expressing the belief
the be would be compelled 10 retire.
Also. from letter written by Lyons ad-
jutant.geueral. in which he says, Gen.
Fremont was not inattentive TO the si,ua.
tion Of Gen. Lyons column ....
He shows that the purchase of the
Austrian guns was q necessity. After
the battle Of Wilson's Creek, expecting
the enemy would Immediately advance,
be fortified Girardeau, Ironion, Rolla and
Jefferson City. making St. Louis his base.
and leaving the army free for operations
in the field. and claims that the necessity
Of these Notifications had been concurred
in by officers Of unimpeachable loyalty
and capacity. With respect to the allie
cation that the work on the Notifications
Of ST. Louis was done under his own per-
sonal direction, and the payments made
on bis personal order, be quotes from a
letter OF we believe subsequent date
(Sept. 81 from Mr.. Blair, telling him that
Gen. Meigs wishes him TO contract for
certain guns personally, telling the con-
tractor that his ordnance officer would
pay for them, as showing that his power
so to act was recognized. . ...
u "The cost OF the works was about
$500. 900. and. considering the time and
manner in which they were built, General
| hicuohe tuhhho tho uiOuCl was Uct hp-
piled. He explains his purchase of arms
that had been sold by The Government.
and which was ono Of the principal
charges against him, We think satis!ac-
torily. u- M
"The turbulent condition OF the State
at the end of August induced him TO pro.
claim martial law. Up to the 10th Of
September, he felt no alarm about the
safety OF Jefferson City or st. Louis
Geneai Price was still upon the Upper
Usage. and General Fremont was organ.
izing force to march against him, to
force him 10 retreat, or to cut of his com.
municalions with Arkansas. Want Of
transportation, arms aud money, delayed
the movement. Paducah, Fort Holt, aud
Western Kentucky, where lodgment had
been effected, and Northern Missouri,
tasked his resources 10 the utmost. On
the llth of September, he heard that
Price had arrived at Clinton ; on the l2tb,
that Col. Mulligan had reached Lexington,
and that Price was near WarrensbuTg,
with q force OF from Eve thousand to
fifteen thousand men. On the 18th two
regiments were ordered 10 the relief Of
Lexington.
"On the l4lh, General Slurgis was or
| In.al A.. i'll snaaA