, 1862-03-18
Did Fremont Purchase Arms in E1t'
TQp8Y

Did Fremont Purchase Arms in Eu-
ToPe9
4 Milwaukee paper states that the CHICAGO
TRIBUNE Is in error, in asserting, recently,
that Gen. Fremont bought no arms when IN
Europe. 1t publishes what purports to be a
telegram from Mr. Seward to Gen. Fremont,
as follows:
WASHINGTON, July q, 1851.
To John c. Fremont.
What disposition was made By you OF the armE
which rou purchased in Europes We are without
Information on thai point, which is very desirable
Ilcase answer ut once BY telegraph snd by letter.
WlLl1Ax A. sEwARD.
The following purports to be the reply:
ST. LoC1s, July q, 1881. :
To The Hon. Wm. H. Seward, Washington: /:
ordered the arms shipped to New York to my ;
order, expecting to forward On my ani wal to my .
department. I1ust you viii confirm this DISPOSE !
Hoin the sonth npon these l:nps. Ne have plenty !,
OF n,cn. I;t absolutely arms, aud tho condition
Maj. Gen Commanding. !
Since t,,is mach is made public respecting |
tie a1ms, will not some fiend Of Gen. Fro !;
mont answer these ques!ions?:
How many arms did he purchase, and Of
what dcscEiptione Where and from whom
were they bought: How much was paid for
tMme What became Of them? Who got
tAcm-what regiments OF companies? How
much did the Government pay Gen. Fremont
fer then, and when was lie paid:
We make these inquiries for no captions
purpose, hut simply to settle matter about
which there is so much dispute.
The denial we made was predicated on in
formation derived from members Of the Van
NycI Investigating Committee. We had pre-
viously been firm in the opinion that Gen.
Fremont purchased several thousand stand Of
improved European muskets and one or more
batteries Of rided cannon. Wesaw it SO stated
in the New York papers, and copied the item
into our columns. But members Of the In-
Te6tigGtinE Committee assured MS that such
WAS not the fact; that he had purchased no
AIMS for the Government Of which they could
learn, except those mentioned in their report
The kilograms above quoted arc exceedingly
Tague. MIR. Seward seems to hare been Of
opinion that Gen. Fremont did purchase some
1. arms while in Europe and wants to know
what he had done with them. The latter {e-
plies that be ordered the az1us shIppedpto
New Yo,k, to lis order, thencet obe forwarded
to st. Louis. What sort of arms How many
Were they forwarded, and what became ol
them, and Whist WIS paid for them: There l.
nothing in the teleggrams that casts l. particle
OF light on these questions. 49,
The Investigating Committee, in their Re
port, epeak at considerable length Of a lot O.
5000 condemned and discarded Austrian
muske:s, which were imported by New
York firm named Kuse, Drexel g. Schmidt
at cost to them of $40 apiece. Gen Ere
mont bought them for 80 apiece from Ger
tain spectators, and had them forwarded t.
St. Louis. These muskets were discharged b!
primer not made in this country, and as NJ
primers accompanied them, they were utterl,
usclcss. Several thousand Of them we're sen
to Miles Greenwood Of Cincinnati to alter AMI
rife; aitez which an attempt WIS made t.
force them On the soldiers, producing, how
eyer, mutiny in some regiments, and discor
tect in all The committee mention no othc
European arms procured BY Gen. Fremon
VIII sonae one who is posted throw light o
the subject Of the RIMS referred to by NJ
Scwa-ds We recall our former denial au
await notwithstanding no desire to d
Gen Fremont injustice In this connectio
we beg leave to say :hat the CHICAGO TR1BUs
= tie only paper in Illinois that has pub1isl
cd Fremont's Defense. Those which hay
been 1oudest In his lauda&ion and bitterest
their abuse Of the TRIBUNE hare suppresse
from their readers the defense he makes
1is official conddct. This shows their hyp
c1isy in peculiar light