, 1865-02-03


upon this expedition. and Who aid go-l, san
s 1a"ee y Wo "a on ;e:s on shore, and thsE bota + r.
and that, in their Judgment it as useless
| Ju!ge, then, whether was dcrelict in my duty
ought to be bounded down and price snoss set
Ipon my head, likc vol, because did not Or
o:1 L IA asssqt which two of the b:ss cngineer ola-
apd in reference to which one Of them said to me- ~
rns5, hf seIy s1presslo9}: n yo4 ta osazs It
at assault alter those %s tnstrppeted oecrs had
advised nc against it. and tt had failed, onsht not
nave been ntsd for murder: And should haze
desn guilty OF thst crime in the sight Of ny COD
Wonla naye had right to join in the CRY 1n that
case: All. he was volunteer General; be
MoTla , a. not take the good advice offered him hy
reenlti''
Iou. sit, who had Lost brother; you, madam.
s, Mno 9ad % lost eon, In such an as:aqlt-eoald
Again, il has bccn said that was not to 70 With
the expedition, that it was to be connansc! by
Sa,fa Gsneaa, Wettze1 Upon th.t question might
under ny command was the Department Of V!1r.
ginia and Aorth .arollaa, and that the operations
were within ny department, and so l had right
eapedea AZ VIZ he a1
edge and consent OF General Grant verbally given
Nay, more, II you will examine his order fos "a
s7ee1on q nj IL ae, I'll q a s 's;a oiar
in5rnsted Intrinsic 10 you md the snbosdinste
Ssas5a! Ts!t:s{ s|sss S.ll! ise,hes' 2,
Grants :tatf. Was By HIMSELF n person, detailed
70 90 tcfth ms upon that expedition, and left Gen.
Grants headquarters to gowith me down the river
Again. ] lay at Fortress Monroe from th. 9th OF
December to the 14th, receiving frequent te1e-
gpas gr9ms Fem Zen Gen: Grant which have been pu99,.
you VII! read those telcgrams, yon will see that
get Of, when win yoar expedition gall; and
Gen. Grant upon this, for me, unhappy expedition,
xet never by letter, dispatch or by word has Gen.
Grant intimated to me that h. did not expect ne
ine with and ast 81 iii. on The s5th d. dsy ' Of b.
cembcr, while lay In Beaufort hasbor as COM
mander ol the expedition, sent report Of Prog
tnston, without word OF dissent that was not
ths dnly authorized commander OF the expedition,
Ihc flsst tnt1mation from any quarter That erer
IN tho New York HtrdM IN indorsement % upon nv nv
official rcportHhich endorsement Is In tho hand
writing Of stat officer Of Gen. Grant and }Yas
Gen. Grant's letter went to the President ASKING
Of ming II regard to the Wilmington expsdition,
and Ve sys aret to sss f Ito to
Army uf the james, the context Of which may
Haee oSca usAuuEf5tooQ an1 possibly ElTen Of
Beside, what wns done there .yas exactly what
Gen: weitzcl advised. Why waa It worse Tor ms
right to be done, that 1t would have been for hlm
TO do the Eamc thing himself II he had besn
there alone: Answer mo this and will take the
Nowlet Us sec what It is to assault fort-1etus
gee What tho Commanding General or Admiral has
to Do IN such . CASE At Fort Fisher tho
quite as near tho fort he was, ind that was not
at all too near for either Of us. (Laughtcr.l Upon
such m occasion the only duty Of the conrnaaltng
In bis hand to to pass his eye over the whole aeld
and, when he thinks the time has come, to say to
his men: Forward make the assault
Now certainly 1t does not require much pe.aoaal
sss ShesF ias s1i IT,
hls men when hat Judgment tells him tat to Or =.
der an assault would be to sacrifice Them. ThisIs
indeed trial; this Is temptation. At Fort Fisher
had ali to Be repealed, with ali The 1 knoWledsa s
now have, even with the stream OF obloquy pour
ing npon my head, as il has poured ever since,I
IN answer TO 81 prayer, Lead ne not into to Emp
tat,on," to act according to the dictates OF nv
conscience md !qdgment-tor there WAS every
and thus take the chance to win honor and glory
ut the gacrfhce Of my men, and noue to forbear to
make It and come away. fGreat eheering.l
aRe a5 shs ass;u M Sd dh'y5as yua not a
stay there and intrenchI For three ressons.
Let as eI5mtne them In a few minutes but frat
papers IN explanation OF this snbJect-I have not
6ccn Porter Or Reporter Of il again and again.
[lanGhter.] No. have come home here Is ny
ship, With whom must live, whose children arc
to grow up with mine, and here make tho expla-
laac1s bare to maka,to them, caring not rap
/ hare encountered worse storms than this before
sSSfsssS Ills also: doo5 4's seesd. si' md md
Now, then, why did not stay upon the bcaeas
IN. II the mt Place had nade only partial land
1ng Of o1e.th OF my men. and nona ofmJ artil-
guns conld b. landed add you viii see that tao
rebel Gen. Whiting il his report atates that
sss9f s1o p hat nga hcn bus
der arms oil night to meet our approach.
put On shore 100 men, and eleht hours after
ward ths storm ~ ya5 50 severs that could not set
its:hofe o. ran. Again, il yon viii LOOK ia one
6e 81 Aan': ssTa '1t gsg@s wi see that
ment almost the last shot and shell which | had
pann sn9na ag I'D
enemy behind me, Hoko's diviaion from Rich
Psi sas n5s, ,1 WhSS ySn 9Pz
painted ocean. It took Admiral Porter antll T the
@ lis ana
II my troops had staid there and waited for him,
what 40 yon SUPPOSE would hare happened to u5
But again, II nothing was to be gained by 1t.
Ehat was the nae o. staying there at oil and haz-
aTfdln: fdh: ny mens haa no siege train, yet. the
mud instructions were ali correct. could NOT be.
siege tho fort; had only twelve light guns, and
IL had @ seyepteen M heavy guns beariag down u2on
What, then, could l do! Perhaps YOU viii az |
ina. might hive stayed there and tried to stop |
the ses By opening ~ guns upon TIE black
and Know it seems 80 from the msp; but there |
was miie and bali between my guns and the |
done the enemy could hsSe ~" Eenosed doaa ana maze
v1sl9ncd Fort Fisher at pleasure and landed man |
On all sides Of me, and the blockade runners could
i as The rebel Iams passed up and down lie James
WHIT ese could have q dons ~ dasSt Sa
80 That troops could be landed again, Tho flct
Is, saw that at any time when thefc was smooth
sea 4. anding could easily BE- effected under cover
General Terry landed Els troops without the loss
af q nan; What, then was tho use IN ny staying
there! There was zone. But besides, .Hoke's
and If had stayed thcre Woald have b. BEEN e es
posed TO IN overwhelming attack, and lost my men
without oenedt to The service. Besides, By stay.
away ~ the enemy went away, supposing tbs attack
70 be abandoned, md thus we found no sufficient
force to oppose ten: Terry.
with the full knowledge that what say il to Be- |
spread broadcast over the country, that an here
today or ,he written lstte! the Leut General to
word Is aad Of Fort Fshef uor s1 is th.re anS
thing alleged against ne in relation to the vii
mfngton eIpedti1on, as the reason for my being
log cabin. about seven miles from Richmond, |
where have spent most Of the winter up to thIs
tine: e. 11rcpeat eat IT. n9 word is said Of Fort Fisher,
count Of my relief. why I an here cannot tell
You now, becanso am not permitted to give The /
feqs91s 'n9 unl It sha please the War Department
those reasons published, but application has moi
get been granted; and in the meantime. a. I AM
not Porter, shall not sound my own trumpet, At
repent then, ! c1sfm the credit, claim Of
glory, of not having assaulted Fort Fisher. IN
d oTf1ana d fha1 T. hesH are those VIII were among
lave lately got upon the other side, who sneer at
nc ss The Hero Of Big Bethel and Fort Fisher.'
Tas ao e H. hey Do me- homer
which twenty -6re men were killed and wounded.
Bul Big Bethel was not Dull Run; Big Bethel vas
Blg Bethel was not ihe ChlcEahominy. Big
Wcst Point General commanded thcrc. claim
a%9 d Fl a 5 fn s yaia ss Ne ,ks s ss t
oot make Disasters. Stop moment and compare +.
1e Sattei hsye named wh Big Bethel Why
Aomes mndc desolstc than there were leaves on
be numbered.
;, But am the hero OF Fort Fisher, too. Well.
Fort Fisher was nut Fredericksburg; Fort Fisher
vas not Chancellorsyille; Fort Fi;her was not the
Wilderness; Fort Fisher was not Coal HaEbor. 4
,acn attack: ono VAS without result but no DIS
aster the last was snccess-al1 honor to Gen.