The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-01-27
Gen. EitzjOhn Porter.


found guilty on all the charges and
specifications, and dismissed from the
service. These charges were, in brief,
as follows:
l. Disobeying, on the 2Sth of August,
an order of Gen. Pope, then his superior
officer, directing him to bring his corps
to help Hooker and others in what is
now known as the second battle of Bull
Run.
2. Disobeying another order of Gen.
Pope on the day following. directing him
to make certain movements.
3. Totally disobeying very important
orders as to the movements of his corps
while the battle was in progress on the
said Goth of August.
4. Disregarding a peremptory order
from Gen. Pope to bring his command
into action, and to report in person on
the field
5. Permitting certain of his brigades,
in defiance of positive orders, to march
back to Centreville, thus greatly delay
ing the arrival of Pratt's brigade on the
field of battle of the 30th August.
6. When peremptorily ordered into
battle, he " did there shamefuIly disobey,
and did retreat from the advancing
forces of the enemy, without any at
tempt to engage them, or aiding the
troops who were already fighting greatly
superior numbers, and were relying on
the flank attack he was thus ordered to
make to secure a decisive victory, and
to capture the enemys army, result
which must have followed from said
flank attack had it been made by Gen.
Porter in compliance with the said order
which he so shamefully disobeyed."
Z. In that, being with his army corps
on Friday, the Doth of April, between
Manassas Station and the field of battle,
then pending, and within sound of the
guns, and in presence of the enemy, and
knowing that a severe action of great
consequence was being fought, and that
the aid of his corps was greatly needed,
field, and did shamefully fall back and
retreat from the advance of the enemy,
without any attempt to give them battle,
and. without knowing the forces from
which he shamefully retreated. -
s. That, "being in the belief that the
troops of Gen. Pope were sustaining de-
feat and retiring from the field, did
sEamefully fail to go to the aid of said
troops, and did shamefully retreat and
fall back with his army to the Manassas
Junction, and leave to the disaster of a
presumed defeat the said army, and did
fail, by any attempt to attack the enemy,
to aid in averting the misfortunes of a
disaster that would have endangered the
safety of the capital of the country"
g. That being commanded to engage
the enemy's lines and to carry a position
near their centre, and to take an annoy
ing battery there posted, did proceed in
the execution of that order with unnec-
essary slowness, and, by delays, give the
enemy opportunities to watch and know
his movements, and to prepare to meet
his attack, and he did finally so feebly
fall upon the enemy's lines as to make
little or no impression, and did fall back
mn racassarilv and without --~I;-e any
of the great personal efforts to rally his
troops to meet the sacrifices and to make
the resistance demanded by the import
ance of his position, and the momentous
consequences and disasters of retreat
at so critical juncture of the day"
These charges were submitted to a
court Martial composed of Major Gener-
al Hunter, President; Major General
Hitchcock, Brigadier Generals Rufus
King, Prentiss Ricketts,, Casey, Garfield
Buford and Morris, the Hon. Joseph Holt
Judge Advocate General, acting as Judge
Advocate. General Porter was defended
by the Hon. Reverdy Johnson and Chas
Eames, Esq, with such eminent ability
as to make the defense especially nota
| BILE, and it led to the opinion that ht
would be acquitted The hearing wa'
long and patient, and the largest latitude
was allowed to the accused consistent
with the rules of war. The record of tht
trial, made up by Judge Holt, was laic
before the President Wednesday, was b,
him approved, and the sentence orderec
to be forthwith executed. The finding
of the Court were, that Gen. Porter wa
guilty of every one of the charges (w
think the last one above quoted wa
abandoned in the outset), and the sent
ence was Dismissed from the service.
The news of this sentence was communi
Gated to Con- Porter Wednesday ever
ing. He was painfully affected, an
greatly astonished evidently not havin
anticipated such result. Indeed, it
: more than probable that he counted on
! full acquittal, as but day or two sine
he applied for temporary leave of al
sence.
Fitz John Porter was cadet fror