The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-04-15
JUSTICE AT LAST.

General Fitz John Port .r Fully Exc
onerated by the C0urt-MlrtiaI
WASHINGTON, April 2.-The report of
the Board OF Officers in the case of Fi.z
John Porter save:
n Nv evidence in adlitinn tosfhe old
has placed beyond q lestion many im-
portant facts regarding the subject of
dispute, in respect to which radically
erroneous opinions were entertained by
General Porter's accastrs, aud doubt-
less hy the C C5urt-martiak that pranounc-.
ed him guilty The resuSt has heen 10
ESTABLISH beyonl reasonable doubt all
the facts essential to the formation Of
correct 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 81, 1869. in obedience to an
order from General Pope, The Board re-
port it was a manifest physical impossl
hilitv TO march over that road that night;
that nothing would have been gained by
the attempt, and that it would have been
wiser if General p lrter hal delayed the
attempt still longer than he did; that he
exercised the verv ordinary discretion
of Corps Commander and that it was
his nlain duty TO 80 exercise it.
With reference to the famous 4 80 or
der. the Board find it was not received
bv Porter before 80 p n, on the 18th
of August: that the officer who wrote
the.,dispatch only began to write it ct
4 80; that the messenger who took it
could not hsve travelled over The route
when they assert thev had taken il their
own testimony be true; that one of the
witnesses concerning this order had Civ
en- manifestlv inconsistent statements,
and another witness had confessed to
the Board he had deliberately made false
statements in regard to the route he had
taken while carrying the dispatch, and
as to still another witness ON this point
his testimony as to the early delivery Of
the dispatch was so completely broken
down that no weight whatever was at
tachcd to it, On the other hand, testi.
monv as to the tine of the delivery OF
the 4 80 order of such officers as Gen.
eral Sykes. Colonels Locke and Monteith,
land several other witnesses, goes Ia,
prove that the order was not delivered
until about sundown, and this testimony
has been singu!arlv confirmed by the
production for the irst time. of dis.
patch from Porter 10 Mcdowell. dated
at 6 p m OF the day in question, the
terms of which show that Porter could
| not have been in possession of the 80
order. As soon as this A 80 order was
received Porter ordered the attack, but
darkness cameion, and, using ihe words
lof the report 'the order was based upon
conditions manifestly erroneous, and d.
rected what was itnpnssible to be tlonc,"'
and that 7. P.sflers Hiselys osderea- =fnrtlsss.'
preparations to cease. The ereport con-
cluding this part of the investigation
says: t,>se4
"Whcn darkness had come on the rear
Of McD,well's column Of weary troops
was passing by the rear OF Porter's col
nmn, still several miles from their des.
tined place on the field. The Union
army was not even vet ready for battle.
Porter's duty during the afternoon Of
the 10Th of August was too plain and
simple to admit of discussion, and the
Board are unable to find any thing in it
subject to criticism, much less deserving
of the censure of condemnation - %