The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-02-07
THE CASE AND DISMISSAL OF GEN
FITZ JOHN PORTER. ---t

rr FlTZ. JOHN PORTER. .-...s-
This officer was tried by court martial,
composed of Major General Hunter, presid-
ing; Major General Hitchcock. Brigadier
Generals Rufus King, Prentiss, Ricketts,,
Casey, Garfield, Buford and Morris, with
Colonel Holt, the Judge Advocate General,
as Judge Advocate, on charges preferred
against him by Brigadier General B. L..
Roberts, formerly Inspector General of
Pope's army in Virginia. The court met
first on November eth at Washington.
The charges laid before it December Sd ac-
cuse General Porter, generally, of willful
dlsobedience to orders, whereby he and the
troops under his command failed to be at a
given point, according to the order of Gen
eral Pope, and thus deranged plans which
had been formed for the capture of Stone
wall Jackson's army; also, with neglecting
and refusing to attack the enemy, when he
was in position So to do; and neglecting to
order his troops to the front, when he must
have known, by the sound of cannon, that
a battle was raging but short distance off,
The formal charges are, violations of the
ninth and fifty second Articles of War.
Article ninth provides that ''Any officer
who shall = < disobey any lawful
command of his superior officer, shall suf-
fer death, or such other punishment as shall,
according to the nature of his offence, be
inflicted upon him by the sentence of a
court MARTIAL ~Tast
Article fifty second provides that ''any
officer and soldier who shall misbehave him
self before the enemy, run away, or shame
fully abandon any fort, post or ground
which be or they may be commanded to de-
lend, or speak words inducing others to do
the like shall suffer death, or
such other punishment as shall be ordered
by the sentence of Federal courtmartial."
The specifications recite, first, that on
the 28th of August Gen. Porter disobeyed
positive and urgent order of Gen Pope
to bring his corps up to the help of Hook
er and Mcdowell, at the second battle of
Bull Run; second, that on the following
day, August 29th, he again disobeyed the
order of Gen. Pope third, that on the
same day he failed to attack the enemy,
though positively ordered to do so fourth,
that being ordered, on the evening of the
29th, to march his command to the field of
battle and report in person to Gen Pope,
for orders, he again disobeyed, ''and did per-
NIT one OF the brigades of his command to
march to Centreville, out of the way of the
field of battle, and there to remain during
the entire day of Saturday, the 3Oth day of
Angus" at which time severe battle was
fought by the remainder of the army fifth,
that in violation of orders he caused the
brigade of Gen Piatt, on the 29th, to be
greatly delayed in its arrival on the battle
field. The specifications to the second
charm hat h., Al
OF August, from the enemy, without any
attempt to engage them, or aid the troops
who were already fighting greatly superior
mum bers, and were relying on the flank at
tack he was thus ordered to make to secure
a decisive victory, and to capture the enc
my's army-a result which must have fol-
lowed from said flank attack, had it been
made by said Gen. Porter in compliance
with the said order which be so sbamefulIy
disObeyed. That, in the belief that our
army was beaten, ''he fell back, and made
no attempt to go to it's help and that being
IN the belief that the troops of the said
Gen. Pope were sustaining defeat and retir-
ing from the field, did shamefully fail to go
to the aid of said troops, aud did shamefully
retreat away and fall back with his army to
the Manassas Junction, and leave to the dis
aster of presumed defeat the said army,
and did fail, by any attempt to attack the en-
envy, to aid ID averting the misfortunes Of
a disaster that would have endangered the
safety of the capital of the country"
The finding of the court was, that Gen.
Porter was guilty on every one of the
charges preferred % and the sentence,
which was approved yesterday by the Pres
ident, cashieEed him from the service.
This finding was in accordance with the