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John C. Fremont. 311
persons high in office, increased his irritation to a point where even
defeat appeared preferable to a voluntary retreat. It has been stated
that on consultation of Commanders and higher officers, all except
Captain Sweeney and Major Cornyn advised a retreat. After com-
ing back from Curran Postoffice, Captain Plummer of the Regular
Army stated to Lyon his opinion that the evacuation of Springfield
might be safely effected in a couple of days, and one of the best
educated and qualified officers of the United States Army, Major
John M. Schofield, held the same opinion, and, as he was at the time
Chief of Staff of Lyon's Army, was certainly best informed upon the
details of the situation. In his work, "Forty-six Years in the Army,"
he states the case clearly and justly on page 39 of his work:
"Lyons' personal feeling was so strongly enlisted in the Union cause,, its
friends were so emphatically his personal friends and its enemies his personal
enemies . . that he could not take the cool, soldierly view of the. situa-
tion, which should control the actions of the commander of a national army.
If Lyon could have foreseen how many times the poor people of that section
were destined to be overrun by the contending forces, before the contest could
be finally decided, his extreme solicitude at that moment would have disap-
peared. Or, if he could have risen to an appreciation of the fact, that his duty
as the Commander in the field of one of the most important of the national
armies, was not to protect a few loyal people from the inevitable hardships of
war (loss of their cattle, grain and fences), but to make as sure as possible
the defeat of the hostile army, no matter whether to-day, to-morrow, or next
month; the battle of Wilson's Creek would not have been fought."
Upon the same point Captain Plummer, a Regular officer of great
merit, says:
"I think it was the morning of the 5th (August) that we reached Spring-
field. The question then arose that morning whether we should remain at
Springfield and defend ourselves until we received reinforcements, or whether
we should continue our retreat right on toward Rolla or Fort Scott. My own
opinion was that we ought to remain a few days, we should wait at least two
or three days for reinforcements. He (Lyon) stated he was not expecting any.
About that time we received a few wagon loads of supplies from Rolla, which
gave us some five or six days' rations. On the afternoon of the 9th we received
marching orders. In the conversations of General Lyon with his officers, the
only questions that arose were whether we should intrench ourselves at
Springfield and wait for reinforcements, or retreat upon Rolla; or, rather, if
we retreated, whether we should retreat upon Rolla, or upon Fort Scott. The
determination to fight the battle of Springfield (Wilson's Creek) was his
own-at least he did not consult me."
Plummer estimated that by forced marches troops could reach
Springfield from Rolla in four days. Only excellent troops could
Object Description
| Title | The Union cause in St. Louis in 1861, an historical sketch |
| Author | Rombauer, Robert J. (Robert Julius), 1830-1925 |
| Subject.LCSH |
Missouri -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Saint Louis (Mo.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories Missouri -- Militia |
| Coverage | United State -- Missouri |
| Source |
475 p. : front., illus. (maps, plans) pl., ports. ; 24 cm. St. Louis, Mo. : Press of Nixon-Jones prtg. co., 1909 |
| Language | English |
| Date.Original | 1909 |
| Date.Digital | 2004? |
| 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 | civm000005p0311 |
| Description | John C. Fremont. 311 persons high in office, increased his irritation to a point where even defeat appeared preferable to a voluntary retreat. It has been stated that on consultation of Commanders and higher officers, all except Captain Sweeney and Major Cornyn advised a retreat. After com- ing back from Curran Postoffice, Captain Plummer of the Regular Army stated to Lyon his opinion that the evacuation of Springfield might be safely effected in a couple of days, and one of the best educated and qualified officers of the United States Army, Major John M. Schofield, held the same opinion, and, as he was at the time Chief of Staff of Lyon's Army, was certainly best informed upon the details of the situation. In his work, "Forty-six Years in the Army," he states the case clearly and justly on page 39 of his work: "Lyons' personal feeling was so strongly enlisted in the Union cause,, its friends were so emphatically his personal friends and its enemies his personal enemies . . that he could not take the cool, soldierly view of the. situa- tion, which should control the actions of the commander of a national army. If Lyon could have foreseen how many times the poor people of that section were destined to be overrun by the contending forces, before the contest could be finally decided, his extreme solicitude at that moment would have disap- peared. Or, if he could have risen to an appreciation of the fact, that his duty as the Commander in the field of one of the most important of the national armies, was not to protect a few loyal people from the inevitable hardships of war (loss of their cattle, grain and fences), but to make as sure as possible the defeat of the hostile army, no matter whether to-day, to-morrow, or next month; the battle of Wilson's Creek would not have been fought." Upon the same point Captain Plummer, a Regular officer of great merit, says: "I think it was the morning of the 5th (August) that we reached Spring- field. The question then arose that morning whether we should remain at Springfield and defend ourselves until we received reinforcements, or whether we should continue our retreat right on toward Rolla or Fort Scott. My own opinion was that we ought to remain a few days, we should wait at least two or three days for reinforcements. He (Lyon) stated he was not expecting any. About that time we received a few wagon loads of supplies from Rolla, which gave us some five or six days' rations. On the afternoon of the 9th we received marching orders. In the conversations of General Lyon with his officers, the only questions that arose were whether we should intrench ourselves at Springfield and wait for reinforcements, or retreat upon Rolla; or, rather, if we retreated, whether we should retreat upon Rolla, or upon Fort Scott. The determination to fight the battle of Springfield (Wilson's Creek) was his own-at least he did not consult me." Plummer estimated that by forced marches troops could reach Springfield from Rolla in four days. Only excellent troops could |
| Source | The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861 |
| Type | Books and monographs |
| Format | JPEG |
| Identifier | civm000005p0311.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 |
