Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-02-05
THE LATE COURT MARTIAL.

We referred few days ago to publication
which, at that date, had not seen, purportpg to
be the Proceedings of General Court Martial
for the Trial of Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter, U S.
Volunteers" but which an esteemed contemporary,
the Boston Advertiser, described as containing
only the evidence of the prosecution"
This one-sided document, which it seems some
body has so industriously disseminated that it is,
as the Advertiser says, /" current in Boston," we
have not been able to find in this city at the prin
cipal bookstores. We are indebted to a friend for
the only copy have seen, and find that it is pro-
perly described by our Boston contemporary.
Though it bears Washington imprint, and was
issued, as we have discovered, from printing Of
fee in this city, the name Of neither publisher nor
printer is giuen the tiaelpoge
AS the case of Gen. Fitz John Porter has natu-
rally attracted large share of the public attention,
and as the American people would, we are sure,
like to see the full proceedings of the trial-em-
bracng as well the evidence offered for the defence
as for the prosecutionwe hope that some publisher
will print the entire proceedings for the nforma-'
ton Of the public We have no reason to suppose
that the Government is party to the clandestine
publication of the one-sided document already 10
print, and as we sure the members of the court
martial would not shrink from the calculation of
the grounds on which they made up their verdict,
we have every reason to suppose that the Judge
Advocate, COL Holt, would be authorized to fur
nish the record of the court to any respectable pub
Usher who will engage to charge himself with the
task we have designated.
1t lis highly important that the confidence Of the
people in the integrity of the military judgments
pronounced by "courts martial or by "courts of
inquiry" should rest on solid convictions of their
Justice, and this cannot be secured by the dissent
nation of the evidence taken on one side alone
When the findings are, as in the case of the Har-
per's Ferry Commission, accompanied with mala-
droit statements which discredit the conclusions
reached, the publication of the evidence may not
be matter of any consequence.
But if we are to have no more of the " pro-
ceedings" in the of Gen. Fitz John Porter than
those contained in the pamphlet referred to, it
would be matter of some curious interest to
have authentic answers to the following questions:
l. Is the evidence here given as taken BY the
prosecution copied from the records Of the court,
or is it compilation of newspaper reports
2. If copied from the records Of the court,
by whom we're they furnished for the purpose?
8. By whose authority, at whose instance, and
in whose interest was this truncated publication
made and circulated
A. Having been printed in this city, why was it
sent to other parts Of the country for circula-
ton and suppressed in Washington, so that copy
is not to be found in any Of our leading DO k.
stores?
s. How are the ends Of military justice likely
to be subserved or the integrity of military judg
ments likely to be affirmed, by such incomplete
and clandestine publications.
Until these questions are satisfactorily answered
We shall concur with the Boston Daily Advertiser
when it hold, the following language apropos Of
this publication
"what are the merits If this controversy we do not
pretend to decid- do intend to upon
the eyidet brought forward in The trial such par
ataterants however nominay the proceedings Of cout
martial but only name deserve repre-
This trial part Of the history If time and the u-
ture reputation for h. sly OF Government s at stake
upon its fairness For the sake Of justice il for his
own past services the coed Of tried and gallant
soldier should protected from such under hand practices
when on trial for his honor Trey raiso cloud Of uspi
con that verdict which should stand above all
doubt If personal jealousy political desgn has entered
into this Judgment the members OF this martial will
not escape merted and hateful immortality m history
8sNsatN
THERON or n MONTAIrK IvNDER FIRE