The New York herald., 1879-01-04
FITZ JOHN PORTER.
THE TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENDANT ALL IN
AND THE SUMMING UP BEGUN.

THE TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENDANT ALL IN
AND THE SUMMING UP BEGUN.
WEST PoINr, Jan. 3, 1879.
The thrty-eghth session of the Fitz John Porter
Board of Inquiry was attended to-day by a large
number of the military men at this post and still
larger number of their lady friends and relations,
some of whom have been constant in their appear
ance. The cross-examination of Mr.. Dyer, one
of the orderlies who accompanied Captain Pope when
he carried the "4:30 p. NJ. order" ON the 10th Of
August, was conducted by Mr.. Bullitt This witness
very positive in his statements and liked the
rious localities with conf dence having. he said
been the ground recently. He located the Fifth
corps and General Porter at the time OF his arrival
with the order differently from both Captain Pope
and the other orderly, Duffy. He then described
certain small frame house we'll Mr. Wheeler's
farm. which he his recent visit to the battle
ground. and which he remembered perfectly in 1862
and also told about seeing the stecpo of Bethlehem
Church while at General Porter's headquarters.
REBurTAL.
General Porter's counsel called three witnesses in
rebuttal. Messrs. Wheeler, Leachman and Hereford
who have been residents all their lives of the neigh
borhood of the Bull Run battle field. Mr.. Wheeler
testified that he the owner Of the small frame
house described by Orderly Dyer. and that IL was
more than year after the 10Th OF August 1862 when
the house was built. This statement confirmed
by Messrs Leachman and Hereford. and all three
swore that Bethleham Church never had steeple
within their recollection. which some fifty
years. They also testified that such person as
Judge Baker. whose house a former government wit
ness located land said he dined therc had lived
in the county.
GENERAL GoRpoSs TESTIMONY
General George II. Gordon was the hnal witness in
nj al ~, D,e a., a.
graduate of the Military Academy, of the class of
1s46 and is lawyer. practising in Boston In August.
1862 he was in command of brigade in Williams di
vision of Banks (sccond) corps He had with him
diary which he had kept, and all the orders and papers
received by him, and able to fix with accuracy
the positions of his command He was positive that
OF the Second reached Brstoe Station till the
2sth of August. and did not think II possible that
any portion of them could have preceded him there.
his was the leading brigade As to the proximity
of Banks corps to Portersi on tho 29th he was con-
hdent that no part of them could have been so sit
uatcd. The corps moved in this campaign more com
pactly than any body of troops he ever knew, and
his recollection was refreshed because he had read
letter written by staff officer OF General Banks to
General Williams recounting the fact that the Second
corps was not near the battlefield of the 29th OF Au-
gust
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE.
Much time then occupied in the submission OF
mass OF documentary evidence by Porters counsel,
consisting of three letters from General Pope TO the
Secretary OF War. written in December 1862 regard.
Pope to General Sherman on the same subject Then
followed document sent to the War Department in
June, 1878. and forwarded to the Recorder.
which Mr.. Choate complained OF az appear
ing without tho authors name, and being
"an argument which bears the earmarks of
composition by General Pope in his own style"
This paper was for a time tho occasion of vigorous
contest to ascertain its authorship, and Mr.. Choae
finally demanded that tho Recorder should write to
the War Department by direction of the Board for
the name OF the author. The Board, however. de-
cided to receive 10 as II from the depart
ment and without any question. Another
and received. and then printed copy of the
same together with certificate from the Adjuant