The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-04-10

WASHINGTON, April 2.-The report
of the Board OF Officers in the case Of
Fitz Joen Porter says: "The new evil
dence in addition to the old has placed
beyond question many important facts
before the subject OF dispute, in res
pect to which radically erroneous opin.
ions were entained by General Per-
ter's accusers, and doubtless by the
court martial that pronounced him
guilty. The result has been to estab-
Iish beyend reasonable doubt all the
facts essential to the formation of cor
rect Judgment upon the merits of the
case. Concerning the charge of which
General Porter was found guilty-Of
not having moved his command on
the night of August 10th, 1852, in
obedience to an order from General
Pope-the Board reports that it was .
manifest physical impossibility TO
march over that road that night, that
nothing would have been gained by
the attempt and it would have been
wiser If General Porter had delayed
the attempt still longer than he did ;
that he exercised very ordinary dis
cretion of a corps commander and that
it was his plain duty to SO exercise 1t. =
With reference to the famous :3O
order the Board find that it was not
received by Porter before 6 20 p. m.
on the Goth of August that the officer
who wrote it only began to write 1T at
80; that the messengers who took 1t
could not have travelled over the route
which they assert they had taken il
their own testimony be true. That
one of the witnesses concerning: this
order had given manifest and incon-
sistent statements. another witnesse
had confessed to the Board that he had
deliberately made false statements in
regard to the route taken while carry
ing the dispatch, and, as to- still an
other witness on this point, his testi-
mony as to the early delivery of the
dispatch, it was so completely broken
down that no weight whatever was at
tached to it. On the other hand the
testimony as to the time of the deliv-
cry of the 80 order of such oficers as
General Sykes and CoIonels Locke
and iMoDeith and several other wit
nesses, all go to prove that the order
was not delivered until about sun
down, and this testimony has been
sssinguIarly confirmed" by the pro-
duction for the first time of dispatch
from Porter to Mcdowell, dated at 6
p. m. of the day in question, the terms
of which show that Porter could not
then have been in possession of the
4 80 order. As soon as this 30 or
der was received Porter ordered an
attack, but darkness came on, and
using the words of the report, "The
order was based upon conditions man
ifestly erroneous and directed what
was impossible to be done," and that
Porter wisely ordered further prepa-
rations to cease. The report in con
Guiding this part of it's investigation
says: When darkness had come on
the rear of McDowell's column Of
weary troops was passing by thefrear
of Porter's column still several miles
from their destined place on the field.
The Union army was not even yet
ready for battle"
Mr.. Porter's duty this afternoon of
August % was too plain and simple to
admit of discussion and, the Board are
unable to find anything in it subject to
criticism much less deserving of CEN
sure or condemnation. 'iAl f's'8