Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-04-03


CONCLUSION OF THE OFFICIAL REPORT.
The following is the concluding portion of the
report In the case OF Gen. FitZ John Porter, the
larger part OF which was printed In yesterdays
STAR:-"It was assumed, In the condemnation
OF Gen. Porter, that he had some order to attack
or some information Of aggressive plans on the
part OF Pope or some intimation, suggestion or
th 1hifection to that effect from Gen. Mcdowell or
tnat there was such battle going on within his
nearing that required him to attack the enemy
without orders before receiving the 4:3O order at
usn An this xas the exact @ Of the
nave been violation OF the spirit of his orders
aid criminal blunder, leading to inevitable dis
soldier, but to do substantially what he did do y
1.-THE fact is that Longstreet, with Is 0W
men, was on the field before Porter arrived with
Chief was there In person at least two or three
nouls before the commander OF the army of Vir
g.nia @ (Pope) himself arrived on the field, and
army OF Virginia that day from the disaster
far Que to the earlier paraon
alone M co1id have neen That r an attack BY Porter
aestTuctively only to the force that made IT, and
IoiioWed by counter attack disastrous to the
LIDO hDloh army, ana that such an attack would
nave been not only great blunder but a great
crime. What Porter did do was only the simnie
necessary action which an intelligent soldter
t,a9 naS no Ch9ice Dut 10 take That no court-mar-
rectly understood" That Porter's condu &C was
''obedtent, subordinate faithful and judicial It
saved the Union army from disaster on the 2sth
The board decide that to full understanding
oI tne merits OF the case the events OF the 31tn
OF August, In which Porter took a conspicuous
part, should be briefly narrated, especially as
oDe OF the charges. afterward withdrawn WAS
nased upon his action OF that day. IL Is SHOWN
lhat Tie NTH army ccrps, which Porter com
mauded, bore most important and gallant
part In the battle or the 30th; that when Long
streets army, seeing their opportunity s.press.sd
forward to strike P0pe's exposed ieft wing and
O "a y. Ifr
into the gap and breasted the storm until bat a
haIdful Of his brave Inen were left alive Taen
sykes and Reyhod also OF Porter'S comm md
With their brlgades, seized the commanding
ground and like rock, wfthstood the advance
OF Ihe victorious enemy and saved the uaion
army from rout "Thus did this GAL
lant corks lof Porter's) nobly and amply VIM
dicate the character or their trusted chief, and
demonstrate to all the world that dIsobedience
OF orders and mis behavior Ia the presence OF
enemies are crimes which could not possibly
commanded that corps"
In concluding the report the board say: .Gen.
Pope appears from his order and from hts testi-
moDy to have been at that time wholly igno-
IaLt OF the true situation. lie had disa pproyed
Of the sending OF Ricketts, to ThorOughfare GAP
10 meet LoDgstfeet, on the 2Sth, believing that
the field OF Manassas before the night OF the
Goth. Hence lie sent the order to Porler, dated
$50 pm, TO attack Jacksons right flank or
rear. Fortunately that order did not reach
Porter until about sunset-too late for any at
tack to be made. ANY attack that Porter could
have made at any time that afternoon must
necessarily have been fruitless OF any good re-
suit Porter's faithful, subordinate and intelli-
gent conduct that afternoon saved the union
army from the defeat which otherwise would
speedy Concentration. The only @ serioSsiy crit CRIT
lcal period OF that campatgn-vk.. between
II am. and sunset Of August 2s-was thus
and appreciated the military situation,
! ard so far as he had acted upon his
own judgment his action had been wise
and judicous. For the disaster OF the succeed.
ing day he was In 10 degree responsible Wno-
ever else may have oeen responsible, it did not
now from any action or inaction OF his. The
| Judgment OF the court-martial upon Porter's
conduct was evidently based upon greatly erro-
locus impressions, not only SuSpecciug wnau
that conduct really was, and the orders under
which ne was acting, but also respecting
| all the circumstances under which lie acted
| Especially was this true In respect 10 the
character OF the battle OF the 2sth OF Au-
| gust. That battle consisted Of a number OF
shaIp and gallant combats between small pr
tons Of the opposing forces. The re.
pcrls OF the 18th and those OF the 39th OF August
have somehow been strangely confounded with
each other. Even the confederate reports have
since the eriniDation of the war. been Simit 4riy
mlsconstrued. Those OF the Both have been mis-
quoted as referring to the 29th, thus ID prove
that a furious battle was going on, while Porter
Vas comparatively Inactive On tue 29th The
helce and gallant struggle or his own troops
on Tie .Ufh has thus been used to sustain the
original error under which he was condemned.
General Porter was In effect condemned for NOT
having taken any part in his own battle. Such
was the error upon which General Porter was
pronounced guilty OF the most shameful crime
Known among soldiers. We believe nor one
among all the gallant soldiers on that b!oody
held was less deserving Of such condemnation
than be- The evidence OF bad anlmus In POr-
ter's case ceases to be material In view OF eyf-
deEce OF his Soldierly and faithful conduct. But
It Is our duty to say that the indlscreet and nm.
kind terms In which Porter expressed his dis
trust OF the capacity OF his superior COMMANDED
cannot be defended, and to that indiscretion
was Que In very great measure to miSinter-
pretatiOn OF both his motives and his conduct
and his subsequent condemnation.
"Havfng thus given the reasons for our con.
clus1ons We have the honor to report in accor1i
ance with the Presidents order, that in our
opinion justice requires at his hands such ac-
ton as may be necessary to annul and to set
aside the findings and sentence OF the court
mafuai In the case Of Mai. Gen. FItz JOhn
Porter. and to restore him to the position of
which that sentence deprived him, such restor-
atlon TO take effect from the date of his dis
mfsSal from the service.n ~-'
The report is signed by J. NJ. Schofe.d, Mai
Gen: Z. s. A.; Alfred H. Terry, Brig. Gen. {. s
A; A; Geo. W. Getty, Bvt. Maj. Gen. t. S. A, Col