The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-01-03
THE ARMY INVESTIGATIONS.
The Porter Court Notwithstanding
Testimony OF General Mcclellan, &c.
w .cuYvcros Ian 1888


In tho Porter court martial Today the Court having
called General Porter TO bring forward his Witnesses
he the first whose evidence he most needed was
Colonel Marshall who then lay III at neghboring hotel
The question was raised the propriey Of adounng
TO the inv Aids ROOM which decided anrmatvey by
the Judge Advocate. The members then proceeded 70
tho where the court reopened In the chamber
Of Colonel Marshall.
Colonel Marshall was sworu and testified that no was
Colonel Of the Thirteenth New YORK Volunteers attached
General Mores div sion and captain IN the regular
service also that the afternoon Of August ~ no had
been detailed by Porter TO deploy skrmEhers
and feel the position Of the enemy near the line
OF the Manassas Railway. He stated all he knew
OF the enemy's force that day, who seemed
to come from the direction OF Thoroughfare Cap.
He supposed them twice strong as Porters
force He thought impossible for Porter TO have
attacked the right wing Of jackson, who with another
portion OF the rebel army was at the Same time nghting
Pope since the direct road thereto WAS blocked up by
enemy 'front.' and the other roads were impossible
by reason woods and the rugged nature Of tho
country The only path that Porter could take would
have been backward one, which Of course, i'm
practicable under the circumstances, though hs had
achieved his by this route the following day
TESTIMONY OF GENERAL MCMILLAN.
He commanded the Army Of the Potomac from i'm.
meAistey after the battle Bull 1861 up abou
the end Of August, 1862
Odd General Porter command corps in that army
II So at what timer Ale served in that army from
sometime the month Of September 1861 nfst com
mander OF division and then commander OF corps
from about end OF April to the beginning OF May
1852.
Q-when did the Army Of the Potomac reach Aqua
creeks At reached by dctachments during the latter
part OF August
xs,iodC Of nDv nNn mad hy Can
Porter the purpose Of moving with hts command
in order TO reach Aqua creek join General Popcs Al
have.
Q-Pease state them. A.-Immediatey eftcr the
commencement Of the movement for evacua,ing Harri
sons Bar General Porter instructed TO his
corps the vicinity Of williamsburg holding position
front OF TO be able TO support either wing Of
the army il attacked. While there he received intorma
ton contrabands and Intercepted letters showing
troops in the vicinity OF Richmond were
moving upon General Pope, and Immediately, without
waiting for further instructions from me he moved his
command with the utmost rapidty 70 Newports News 70
embark. While At Newports News he used every effort
70 facilitate embarkation or his command for Aqua
Odd nc know that the object Of that movement on
his as quick AZ possible 10 the assistance
| Of Gen. PoIe9 Ale did.
Q-At what time did ne get of from Newport's Ncwss
Al think embarked in person the 10th OF August
could tell certainly without reference to papers and
| dates.
asked II that document refreshed his recollection?
4 The following is the despatch alluded To-
| ToRr MONROE. Va. Aug 20--llA NJ
re naeeis 81 very pressing matter Of life and death
What being and when wll be through
''O GEO. b: MCCLELLAN, Major General
After reading paper aud acknowledging its author
snip, General Mcclellan said:To tho best OF my know-
cd 70 bolef the evening OF the 2oih OF August
l oIhnt order as we understand 1t, WAS executed 70
| your satisfaction A.-Entire'y so.
Q.You have stated that the nrst movement which he
thap OF %
vii bout orders from you Was II not conary TO orders
at that time Alt was departing from the letter Of
Instructions had given him. should any, however in
explanation Of that that General Porter sent me toe
gram perhaps two stating that he would move up cor
ainly II did forbid. BY some delay did not re
cove these dispatches until after he had started but
| fully approved his courso In doing what he did
Q-was the effect OF that movement 70 expedite MS
arrival At Aqua creek: Avery dec!dedly-at least
o -Ai,er be ielt Newports News with his command
whc:i did you him, II at all, afterwards AT
o-How long was he there under your immediate su-
pcrvisiont Al think from twenty -four TO thirty six
| hours. bctwecn there and Falmouth.
Odd you MIN after he left Falmouth, until the
| campaign at an cndy A.-No, sir.
| U-trom what you saw Of his conduct, or from any.
thing that you may have heard from him alter he knew
tint he wa 10 90 tho o General Pope did he
do all in your opinion that energetic jealous and
| triotc officer could have doLef Al think he did.
QHad you any reacon at any time after he received
notice that to the assistance OF Gen. Pope 10
believe that he would fail Gen Pope or the country
| A.--None whatever.
d.
Unrnsde after Gen. Porter joined the command was
about 10 Join the command Of Gen. Pope, dispatches
that he bad received from Cen Porerf Al received
several tho exact number do not know perhaps three
or four for xardcd by Gen. Burnside from Falmouth.
do yourseifs A-rhe copies, think, were ad.
| irssscd both to zen H,llccs and myself.
| General Mcclellan here examined the various des.
patches referred TO, in which General Porter comments
| upon ,hs in which the Virginia campaign had
been conducted and acknowledged them to be the
o-Did YOU from the kilograms you 40 recsived form
hat be- ~
| his duty TO General Popey Al did not
Own you 10 me the favor 10 look a, this paper
| (haDding " TO HIM and say whether you sent that
Tho despatch alluded to is the sent by General
Met ean 10 General Porter, september i, 1862 urging
the latter do all his power asss. General Pope.
Q-As you have already stated that you never enter
tanned doubt thai Cen Porter would be true % Gen
Pope in that campaign. how came you to send such
despatch THAR Al sent II IN accordance with re-
quest the President OF the United States who sent
for that day and told me that ne understood that
| there was uDknd feeling on the part Of the
| Army Of the Potomac towards General Pope
| and requested mo 10 my personal influence
TO correct by teegraphng either 10 General Porter
any other Of ssaends there told him that did
not consider IL n rJrary but was perfectly willing
~ had no doubt then IN nv own mind bot tina. the
Army Of the Potomac and all connected with would DO
their duty without the necessity OF any action on my
part.
telegram quiet the OF the President and
not to remove any spprehensions Of your own AIN
Exam.natisn by the Judge Advocate
i Q-This despatch o. wnich you nave SPOKEN. SCARF
date 30 ~, September 1, 1892 We're You not then
or sometime Afterwnd in command Of ths deiences Of
/ Washington Al had been placed in command Of the
defences Of Washington that morning by verbal order
Q-Can you recall the hour at which on the following
day the order General fspe to fall back with
IN the dcfenccs u washington' AThc order did not
/ emanate from But my recollection u that II was
very early hour on the morning Of tbs ID Of sep
tcmbeY
O. Did or did not the execution Of thai order necessary
place the forces OF Pope himself under your
| mandf A. A WAS directed not N assume any com
mand the active roope commanded ~ General Pops
until they reached the immediate vicinity Of Washington
was expressly excluded from all control over them until
then.
Q. Did tho President, In his conversation with You
with respect 70 the sending Of this despatch express
prehenson growing out 81 unknd feelings the part Of
the Army q the Potomac, or on the part u certain
onfccrns
General HIichcock--Is u necessary 70 70 into that
point, Mr. PresidcntY rather think not
| Mr.. johnson (counscl)-we do not object 10 u, sir.
General Hitchcock insisting his objection the Judge
| Advocate withdrew the question
The following questions were then prcpounded by the
| Court -
O. Al what time did General Porter receive orders 10
ioin General Popeis comnandy A. cannot give the er