of
Slavery, and in favor of free labor. The hot campaign of 1856 resulted
in a surprising showing of strength by the new party. Fremont received
114 electoral votes from 11 States to 174 from 19 States for Buchanan
and eight votes from Maryland for Fillmore. The popular vote was 874,000
for Fillmore, 1,341,000 for Fremont, and 1,838,000 for Buchanan.

Lyon welcomed the appointment of Fremont to command, because he felt
the need of having a superior officer at hand who would appreciate the
urgency of the situation, and stand between him and the authorities at
Washington, who apparently did not understand the emergency, were not
honoring his requisitions for money, arms, and supplies, and who were
drawing to the eastward the troops that Lyon felt ought to be sent to
him. It was also satisfactory to him that the State of Illinois was
in the Department, since the important point of Cairo should be
administered with reference to controlling the situation in southeastern
Missouri.

136

The first distrust of Fremont came from his deliberation in repairing to
his command. The people of Missouri felt very keenly that no time should
be lost in the General arriving on the spot and getting the situation in
hand, but in spite of all importunities, Fremont lingered for weeks
in New York, and it required a rather sharp admonition from the War
Department to start him for St. Louis, where he arrived as late as July
25.

Lyon's prompt advance upon Jefferson City now bore fruit in another
direction. The Union people of Missouri decided that as Gov. Jackson,
Lieut-Gov. Reynolds and other State officials had abandoned the State
Capital to engage in active rebellion against the United States, the
State Convention, which had been called to carry the State out of the
Union, but which had so signally disappointed the expectations of its
originators, should reconvene, declare the State offices vacant, and
instate a loyal Government A strong party desired that a Military
Governor should be appointed, and urged Col. Frank P. Blair for that
place, but he refused to countenance the project. The Convention, by a
vote of 56 to 25, declared the offices of Governor, Lieutenant-Governor
and Secretary of State vacant, and elected Hamilton R. Gamble Governor,
Willard P. Hall Lieutenants Governor, Mordecai Oliver Secretary of
State, and George A. Bingham Treasurer. An oath of loyalty was adopted
to be required of all citizens before being allowed