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12 battery of artillery. On his arrival, he will assume com- mand of all troops at that place. J. C. FREMONT, Major General Commanding. To Colonel JEFF. C. DAVIS, Colonel Commanding at Jefferson City. Now, let us examine what was done. Pope's reinforcements did not arrive; General Sturgis did come to a point near the river on the oppo- site side from Lexington; and I have the testi- mony of Colonel Mulligan himself that if he had actually come within sight with his forces on the opposite side of the river, Price had got so tired of fighting, the defence had been so persistent and unyielding, that he would have retired, notwithstanding his force of twenty thousand men, with eight brigadier generals, besieging one colonel of the Union forces. But the evidence is, that Sturgis came down to a point within a few miles of the river, and learn- ing that the ferry-boats had been destroyed, and that, therefore, it was impossible for him to cross the river, and learning from a contra- band-for they were permitted then to come within our lines and give information as to rebel movements-that Price's force was twenty to twenty-five thousand, deeming that he had not a force sufficient to meet them, as he had not, he retired. Fremont, however, supposed that, by four days after his order to him, he would have reached Lexington ; and on the 18th-two days before Lexington fell--he sent orders to him at that point. Jefferson C. Davis, upon the reception of General Fremont's orders, embarked as soon as possible-for it takes time-his available force upon some steamboats; and they pro- ceeded up the river to a place called Glasgow, where, learning that the rebels had erected bat- teries, they landed for the purpose of storming them before proceeding under their fire; and in the darkness of the night they fired into each other, and being thrown into confusion, they did not get to Lexington in time to reinforce Colonel Mulligan. These three forces from different directions, then, set out under the orders of General Fre- mont to reinforce the gallant defenders of Lex- ington, and he failed in accomplishing that purpose because the elements seemed to be against him, and not because he did not seek in every possible way to succor that besieged garrison. His dispatches to his secret agents are not, of course, published; but a reply from one of them, Charles Noyes, says that Sturgis was expected to reach Lexington the Wednes- day night before the surrender, and General Lane the Thursday night before. Fate seemed to prevent these reinforcements, not the inac- tivity or indifference of Fremont. Now, to appreciate the difficulties General Fremont had to contend with in bringing any considerable number of men to any one point, you must remember the extended frontier, and the large number of posts he had to defend. Troops were stationed, and had to be, not only at St. Louis and Cairo, but all through north Missouri, at Lexington, at Jefferson City, at Rolla, at Ironton, at Cape Girardeau, at Bird's Point, at Fort Holt, opposite Cairo, at Norfolk, at Mound City, at Paducah, and many other points. Judge Blair testifies how difficult it was for him, here, at the capital, and with the influence wielded by a member of the Cabinet, to obtain any attention to Western interests, or compliance with Western requisitions. But Fre- mont, with troops constantly ordered away from him, with a plentiful lack of guns, with credit impaired, if not ruined, by the possibility of his removal, (and since then these creditors have seen their claims delayed for months, till examined by a board of commissioners, and even still unpaid.) was expected to organize victory, and triumph over every adverse circum- stance. But let us look further, and see what was the condition of affairs when Price marchhed upon Lexington. Why, sir, at the very time when Price, with from fifteen to twenty thousand men, was threatening Lexington, McCulloch was threatening Rolla and Jefferson City, Har- dee was threatening Ironton, in southeast, Mis- souri, and Polk and Pillow, with a number of troops, estimated at twenty to twenty-six thou- sand, were down at Columbus, threatening our inferior forces at Cairo; and in addition to that, there were the forces of Jeff. Thompson, Martin Green, and other guerrilla bands; and there were organized bands of rebels in every county in the State. The State was heaving and seething with insurrection under his feet, and he had to restore it to its loyalty. All this Fre- mont had to encounter, with nearly eighty thousand rebels threatening all these exposed points, with the disloyalists at their homes, and with an inadequate force to meet the enemy. Sir, a responsibility was thrown upon him which I would not to-day take upon my shoul- ders for the best office in the gift of the Ameri- can people or of the world. THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. While he was struggling nobly to perform his duty, from every side came the poisoned arrows of calumny, and the ex parte testimony of the investigating committee of this House, charging him with connivance with contractors to plunder the Treasury. I regret to have to allude to their course, for every member of the committee, I believe and hope, is my personal friend. Sir, I have learned to look with some dis- trust upon ex parte testimony. I recollect that when my friend from Ohio, [Mr. SHERMAN,] who now occupies a seat at the other end of the Capitol, was at the head of a committee sit- ting in judment upon the then Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Toucey, they wrote to Secretary Toucey, as I found in re-reading their report recently, that they were going to examine into the live oak contract, and other matters, and
Object Description
Title | Fremont's Hundred days in Missouri |
Author | Colfax, Schuyler |
Description | Speech of Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, in reply to Mr. Blair of Missouri, delivered in the House of Representatives, March 7, 1862 |
Subject.LCSH |
Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890 United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns Missouri -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 |
Coverage | United State -- Missouri |
Source | Washington : Scammell, 1862 |
Language | English |
Date.Original | 1862 |
Date.Digital | 2003? |
Type |
Books and pamphlets |
Format | JPEG |
Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact contributing institution for information. |
Contributing Institution |
University of Missouri--Columbia. Libraries |
Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library Special Collection, University of Missouri - Columbia at (573) 882-0076 or email: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
Description
Title | civk000036p0012 |
Description | 12 battery of artillery. On his arrival, he will assume com- mand of all troops at that place. J. C. FREMONT, Major General Commanding. To Colonel JEFF. C. DAVIS, Colonel Commanding at Jefferson City. Now, let us examine what was done. Pope's reinforcements did not arrive; General Sturgis did come to a point near the river on the oppo- site side from Lexington; and I have the testi- mony of Colonel Mulligan himself that if he had actually come within sight with his forces on the opposite side of the river, Price had got so tired of fighting, the defence had been so persistent and unyielding, that he would have retired, notwithstanding his force of twenty thousand men, with eight brigadier generals, besieging one colonel of the Union forces. But the evidence is, that Sturgis came down to a point within a few miles of the river, and learn- ing that the ferry-boats had been destroyed, and that, therefore, it was impossible for him to cross the river, and learning from a contra- band-for they were permitted then to come within our lines and give information as to rebel movements-that Price's force was twenty to twenty-five thousand, deeming that he had not a force sufficient to meet them, as he had not, he retired. Fremont, however, supposed that, by four days after his order to him, he would have reached Lexington ; and on the 18th-two days before Lexington fell--he sent orders to him at that point. Jefferson C. Davis, upon the reception of General Fremont's orders, embarked as soon as possible-for it takes time-his available force upon some steamboats; and they pro- ceeded up the river to a place called Glasgow, where, learning that the rebels had erected bat- teries, they landed for the purpose of storming them before proceeding under their fire; and in the darkness of the night they fired into each other, and being thrown into confusion, they did not get to Lexington in time to reinforce Colonel Mulligan. These three forces from different directions, then, set out under the orders of General Fre- mont to reinforce the gallant defenders of Lex- ington, and he failed in accomplishing that purpose because the elements seemed to be against him, and not because he did not seek in every possible way to succor that besieged garrison. His dispatches to his secret agents are not, of course, published; but a reply from one of them, Charles Noyes, says that Sturgis was expected to reach Lexington the Wednes- day night before the surrender, and General Lane the Thursday night before. Fate seemed to prevent these reinforcements, not the inac- tivity or indifference of Fremont. Now, to appreciate the difficulties General Fremont had to contend with in bringing any considerable number of men to any one point, you must remember the extended frontier, and the large number of posts he had to defend. Troops were stationed, and had to be, not only at St. Louis and Cairo, but all through north Missouri, at Lexington, at Jefferson City, at Rolla, at Ironton, at Cape Girardeau, at Bird's Point, at Fort Holt, opposite Cairo, at Norfolk, at Mound City, at Paducah, and many other points. Judge Blair testifies how difficult it was for him, here, at the capital, and with the influence wielded by a member of the Cabinet, to obtain any attention to Western interests, or compliance with Western requisitions. But Fre- mont, with troops constantly ordered away from him, with a plentiful lack of guns, with credit impaired, if not ruined, by the possibility of his removal, (and since then these creditors have seen their claims delayed for months, till examined by a board of commissioners, and even still unpaid.) was expected to organize victory, and triumph over every adverse circum- stance. But let us look further, and see what was the condition of affairs when Price marchhed upon Lexington. Why, sir, at the very time when Price, with from fifteen to twenty thousand men, was threatening Lexington, McCulloch was threatening Rolla and Jefferson City, Har- dee was threatening Ironton, in southeast, Mis- souri, and Polk and Pillow, with a number of troops, estimated at twenty to twenty-six thou- sand, were down at Columbus, threatening our inferior forces at Cairo; and in addition to that, there were the forces of Jeff. Thompson, Martin Green, and other guerrilla bands; and there were organized bands of rebels in every county in the State. The State was heaving and seething with insurrection under his feet, and he had to restore it to its loyalty. All this Fre- mont had to encounter, with nearly eighty thousand rebels threatening all these exposed points, with the disloyalists at their homes, and with an inadequate force to meet the enemy. Sir, a responsibility was thrown upon him which I would not to-day take upon my shoul- ders for the best office in the gift of the Ameri- can people or of the world. THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. While he was struggling nobly to perform his duty, from every side came the poisoned arrows of calumny, and the ex parte testimony of the investigating committee of this House, charging him with connivance with contractors to plunder the Treasury. I regret to have to allude to their course, for every member of the committee, I believe and hope, is my personal friend. Sir, I have learned to look with some dis- trust upon ex parte testimony. I recollect that when my friend from Ohio, [Mr. SHERMAN,] who now occupies a seat at the other end of the Capitol, was at the head of a committee sit- ting in judment upon the then Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Toucey, they wrote to Secretary Toucey, as I found in re-reading their report recently, that they were going to examine into the live oak contract, and other matters, and |
Source | Fremont's Hundred Days in Missouri |
Type | Books and monographs |
Format | JPEG |
Identifier | civk000036p0012.jpg |
Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact koppk@umsystem.edu for more information. |
Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library special collection at: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |