, 1862-03-08

at Wa9 the completion Of the city defenBea in
the shortest possible time. Tie works are
prehenoing the city itselfand the surrounding
: country on q length Of about ten miles, aud the
total cost Is, think, less than $500, 600.
n my Judgment, having in view the time
and manner In which they were built, the
money Nas veil applied, and ae measure Of
the Gevessaent% aea % xhsi i eost ~ guy worth to
and while examining. into the conduct and
events Of The wal, think it right to call tue
9 attention Of your Committee to the fact that
aCommittee charged to investigate 1auds''
came INTO Department which was under
encouraging characterization. discrediting and
weakening the authority Of the Commanding
General; then absent In: the field, and offeT
restlmony to show that their conduct while
At ~: Louis created q public opinion that their
special object was to make out ease against
that Department; Gee page 79of that report. )
ana otter testimony to show that they avoid
ca and declined to receive, and have sup
pressed, testimony which initiated against
ms object, and further to show that there arc
n Their report many Inaccuracies and peryer-
slons and some positive EllsehoolB.
ihe labors Of the Investigating Committee
appear to have resulted In single resolution,
N which the purchase Of certain arms by my
Eelf IS made prominent subject. With re-
speet to the sale Of these arms by the Govern
ment, have nothing to eay. They were new,
and am told were sold without being con.
demned. The contract price at which they
we're bought by the Government was, I BE-
heye. S17-50. The price at which they arc
Eei Gown Ii the Ordnance Manual il 321.
AFTER they had been rif1ed and otherwise i'm
proved, purchased them at 81. Taking
INTO consideration the adyance In price Of
arms, caused BY the war, submit that the
purchase Is not deserving Of special censure.
Rave dig' essed from tie rule laid down at
Inc outset Ii this paper, but the passage OF the
resolution, which Is soon to be before the
house, would bea vote Of censnre, and as the
tiol have been broadly spread over the com
Try, respectfully ask that the Committee will
cause this s attment, together with the ac-
compapying documents, 10 have equal and
immediate publicity given to them, in order
lhat congress may act unlerstandingly, and
belongs.
: The turbulent condition Of the State at the
end Of August, rendered It in nv iuegment
necessary TO lEsne q proclamation extending
martial law to the State Of Missouri, and en-.
forcing some penalties for rebellion.
AS explanatory Of some Of the difficulties Of
my position, and Of my ideas concerning the
conduct OF the war in my Department, refer
the committee to the annexed correspondence
with the President in this connection,
So late as the 9th, to the 10th September, as
aecompanyfng papers under this cate chow,
4o 9oal lmmed1ate danger vas apprehended for
Price WIS still on the Upper Usage, and I
was organizing as rapidly as possible q force
10 march from Rolla and from Jefferson CITY
upon sprinfeld, with the intention Of forciug
MIN to retreat or cutting of his communica.
Tons with Arkansas. Want Of transportation,
arms and money, was delaying this move
ment. We had Just effected Judgments at Pa
ducah and Fort Holt, and were occupied in
contestlng with the rebels in Western Ken
tucky, for which, re-enforcements were con-
stant1y required The condition Of North
missouri required vigorous effort to sup
Press rebellion in that quarter, and an expedi-
tlon, which occupied considerable p1rt Of
OUT real force, vas sent there under Generals
Pope aud Sturgis.
These three points, on which We were actu-
ally engaged, fully taxed our resources.
At this time sent for Gen. Hunter, to give
hIni command Of tue movement upon Spring-
field. On the 11th, it will be seen, that Gea.
Pope, with all the force under his command,
was fully occupied in North Missouri.
IN the same day received the rumor, and
only as rurnor, Of Gen. Price's arrival at
Clinton, more than 500 miles from st. Louis.
Upon the 18th, 4 dispatch from Gen. Davis
ington. Col. Mulligan reports portion Of
his eomlnand--CoL 1farslsau's regiment Of
caFalry--as securing the country. The same
day another dispatch from him informs mc
THAT Price is reported near Warrensburg, with
1orce ynriously estimated from !, 900 to Ii, 600
men. He informs me measures were being
taken to begin fortffying Lexington. Fina1ly,
it appears That Gen. Davis was giving his at
teLtlon ylYilantly to that section Of country,
1t Will be seen from the telegrams of this
DAY, that Cairo was also requiring more troops
IN the 18th two regiments were ordered
from St. Louis to Jefferson City, to the relief
OF Lexington, Lexington is 240 miles from
st. Louis and 1l5 from Jefferson City}, aud,
IN the opinion Of Gen Davis, who was occu-
pltd with that place, it was deemed expedi-
eDt. and, generally it will be seen that all
possible activity and promptitude was used in
sending forward troops to the points threat
ened along the Missouri river, and meeting,
with all our disposable force, the movements
Of Gen. Price. It Will be seen that up to the
18th, Bonneville, and not Lexington, was con
sldered the Threatened point
On the l4th Gen Sturgis was directed to
move, with all practicable speed, upon Lex
ington. Gen. Pope's dispatch gave nc every
reason to believe, as he did, that reinforce-
mcDt OF 4.00 men, with artillery, would be
there in abundant time and if the Committee
Will take the time to read the accompanying
papers, it will be seen that from every dispos.
able quarter where there were troops, the
Promptcst efforts were made to concentrate
them on Lexington, but chance defeated these
efforts.
Also on the 18th, in the midst Of this demand
lot troops, vas ordered by the Secretary Of
War and General Scott to send 5000 we'll
armed infantry to Washington without mo-
mcnt's delay.''
It will in some degree explain my condition
to insert the following telegram:
[vol :. page 36.l
dEAnquAHTEKs WESTERN DERARrMESr,
Sr. LOUIS, Sept IS, 1861.
To Co! E. D: Ioscnsend. asst Adj. Gen, Read-
1udTte7s Of tie A7my, Washington, D c.:
Reliable information from the vicinity Of Price's
column shows bis present force to be t1.OW at
cts extending towards syracnss: Green is making
1or Bonneville, with probable force OF 5000
Withdrawal Of force from this part OF Missouri
risks the State: from Padrcah. loses Western Ken
lucky: As the bcsr: haye ordered two regiments
1rom this city, two from Kentucky, aud will make
up the remainder from the new force being raised
by the Governor Of Illinois.
J. c. FREMONT, Mai. Gen, CONG.
Il is well to recall the fact that the State of
which had the task to obtain possession, and
which WIS in active rebellion, contained
white population Of over milliou-eoual to
that Of Virginin, and Isl, 900 GREATER than that
OF Kentucky, and that the difficulties were in
creased By the fact that the several important
points needed to be occupied for that purpose
were very distant from the centre Of opera
tlons at st. Iouie, with long lines OF commu-
Mcatlon 10 be Kept open in the midst Of q
brave and entesprising enemy.
Miles.
70 St Joseph. -...-................-..;30
70 Eedhlia- ~.-..............,1S9
To Jefferson City. y......,...............-l95
~ 1os oe '-'''''-'....'--..--'..... .:lI8
To Cairo and Paducah aNl
(Yol. Z. page Is