New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-05-09
GEN. FRRMONT-ARMY COMMAND.
Frs,

The Borld sees fit TO suspect that The
TRIBUNE, among others, will now urge the
appointment of Gen. Fremont to the command
of the Army of the Potomac, and therefore as.
sails and defames him through a long article,
picking O few sentences out Of the evidence
with regard TO his Missouri campaign (taken
before the Committee on the Conduct Of the
WAR 10 form basis for its attack. We do
not suppose any one who ever did or ever
could admire a man Of Gen. Fremonts po.
litical convictions will esteem or trust him less
for this malignant assault; but we do not the
less thank The World for giving US an oppor
tunity to review the whole ground OF Military
commands These, briefly set forth, are our
positions:
i. We greatly desire that Gen. Fremont,
and every other loyal officer, be called into
actual service; but We never did aud do not
now designate him for any particular post Of
duty. Knowing Gen. Fremont to be thor.
Walton, we are sure there must be some com.
mand which he can fill with usefulness to him.
self and honor TO the country; and if it be
only that OF regiment Of cavalry or bat
talon of scouts, We shall hope that lie will
accept it without hesitation and discharge its
duties in such manner a. to make the loyal
regret that it was not more important We
think he had good reasons for asking to be
relieved from serving under Gen. Pope; we
think il was right in the Government to accede
a. buf tIa NIL no
been Immediately assigned to some other, even
if less important, position; and, if he lad re-
fused it, we would have justified the Govern
ment in at once mastering him out of the SER
rice. We have no different rules for our
! friends aud others who are eating the Ma
tion's salt; and We hold that the country
cannot afford to pay any more officers Gen.
Scott, perhaps, excepted) than 1t obtains pres
ent work from. If Gen. Fremont, or any
other General, is not wanted in the service,
or will not do the work for which he is
wanted, muster him out and stop his pay; but
We insist that there must be something that
every officer properly retained in the service
can do, and we are anxious to see him set
about it.
| III. As TO the more important commands, We
believe we have never troubled the powers
that be- with even q suggestion that one Of
them should be given to any particular Cen
eral if we have, we regret it. When Nc.
Dowel was placed in command of the Army
Of the Potomac, we presumed it was oil right,
and acted accordingly. When he failed at
Bull Run, we tried hard TO stimulate public
confidence in Gen. Scott as q military ne.
cessty." When Mcclellan was called to the
East--as while he previously commanded in
the West--we cherished and dfIused all posi-.
bic faith in him, until Balls Bluff and his
strange presidency in lying for months be-
sieged in and just about Washington BY an army
not one-third the strength Of his own, with his
TANKS turned and his supplies straiteued by
the hostile blockade of the Potomac and inter-
ruption of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
we were tardiy and reluctantly driven to give
him up. That he is weak and slow, irresoute
and timid, constantly deceived BY Rebel fc.
tons and imagining the enemy in his front at
least twice as strong as they are, may DO less
his fault than his misfortune; but it does not
suffice to explain that long season Of disgrace
full and ruinous torpOr. We cannot help be-
lieving that Gen. Mcclellan is in sympathy
with those who wish to see the public patience
worn out by months Of costly, dawdung, iuef.