The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-03
aEN. R1rz JoIIN PoRrER,s CASE.
The Reward OF Perseveranee-The Board
OF Inquiry Endorse the COurse He
Pursued. 8-lft Vi 4l

OF inquiry EnuorHes tne COufse II
Pursued. s-lfl Y : 4.lfi i
WAsuISGroS, April 2.-The report o
the Board OF Officers in the case OF Fit
John Porter says: New evidence, in ad
dition to the old, has placed beyond ques
ton many important facts before {
subject Of dispute, in respect to whicl
radically erroneous opinions were enter
tanned by General PorteFs accusers, ant
doubtless by the courtmartial that pro
nounced him guilty. The result has beer
to establish beyond reasonable doubt al
the facts essential to the formation Of
sound and correct judgment upon tn,
merits Of the case. Concerning the cllarg
Of which General Porter was found guilty
Of not having moved his command on tht
night of,sAugust 9th, 1862, in obedience
to an order from General Pope, the Boart
report that 1t was, manifest physica
impossibilityi to march over that road tha
night that nothing would have beer
gained BY the attempt, and that it.woulG
have been wiser IL General Porter liat
delayed the attempt stillllonger than hC
did ). that he exercised very ordinarilythG
discretion Of corps commander, and thai
1t was his plain duty to so exercise II.
With reference to thefamous 4:30 order
the Board find that it was not read BY
Porter before $3.50 P. ". Of the 10Th d
August; that the officer who wrote thG
dispatch only, began ,to. write it at $3.50
that the messenger who took it could no
have travelled over the route which
they assert they had taken. II their OWE
testimony be true that one Of the wit
nesses concerning this order had given
manifest inconsistent. statements, and
other witnesses had confessed to the
Board that he had deliberately made false
statements in regard to the route taken
while carrying the dispatch, and as 10 still
another witness, In this point his testi
monylas 10 the early delivery Of the dis
patch was so completely broken down that
no weight whatever was attached to II.
Ohthe other hand, the testimony as TO
the time Of the delivery al the $3.50 orders
OF such. officers as. Generals Sykes, Coils
Locke and Monteith, and other witnesses
all goes 10 prove that the order was moi
u6llNGTeu uulll upOub 6uhhphht AAu buLs
testimony has been "siDgularly confrm
ed" by The production for the first time o.
a dispatch from Porter 10 Mcdowell dated
at P:Sts 81 the day III question, the tetuis
OF which show that Porter could not th6u
have been in possession Of the 4:30 order
AS this 4:30 order was received, Porter or
dered an attack, but darkness came on
Using the words Of the report, "the order
was based upon conditions manifestly or
rotiedus, and directed what was impossi
ble to be dones aud Porter wisely ordered
further preparation cease! ~
The report, concluding this part OF Id
investigations says: When darkness had
coms on, the rear Of McDowell's column o
weary troops vas passing by the rear o
Porter's column; still, several miles IRON
their destined plaeeo on the fsld, the Unior
army was not even yet ready for battle
Porter,s. duty during the afternoon Of thl
10Th OF August was too plain and simpl,
TO admit OF discussion, and the board i
unable to find anything in 1t subject Il
criticism, much less deserving Of censur,
or condemnation.