National Republican., 1882-11-30

laltle, but listening TO the sound Of the guns of
he enemy during The whole time.
Gen. Grant says tspeaking of PorterC "Thus
eft alone, facing superior numbers advaniage-
,usiy posted, aud ignorant Of the needs OF Pope,
4 indeed he hsd any, Por'er had necessarily 10
oide MeDowells arrival on his right In the
meantime his duty was manifestly TO engage
ng AGAINST Pope especiaily while McDowell was
oui oil support of both Pope and Porter"
4 Con. Grant has examined the evidence care
FULLY he will find that Porter faced no such num-
bers; there was nothing In his front during the
day except cavalry pioKes, except at one time
when JUless brigade moved down on another road,
Porter and hred few shots from two pieces OF
light artillery, forcing Porter TO have his men
hide in the bush (which the evidence shows) to
his duty, Cen Grant saws, was to purposely en-
gage Lonstre attention. presume he does not
mean that Pope shSud have h,se done this by not
Of attacking, not by moving all his troops up TO
Dawkinss. Branch, nor by allowing them to lie
along the road n distance OF three miles under
cover of woods with armsstacked.
How did he engage his atteution7 Did he en-
gage his attention so as to prevent nearly the
whole force of Longstreet from attacking Popes
left Hank and forcing II back
Certainly not, If the evidence Is 10 be believed
certainly, Il Longstreet reported the truth, But
streets attention, Gen. Stuarts report shows
cleary that few cavalrymen engaged Porter's at
tention.
In Porter's report of that days operations he
says that the dust on the road In his front was so
heavy that IL was evident to his mind large force
was moving against him.
stuart Ia confederate genernD says in his report
land 1t seems that Gen Grant takes the statements
of confederates for their numbers, and he ought
consequently accept all they say that he fooled
Porter that day, and kept him from attacking
Longstreers right flank, by having some brush
tied to mules tails and dragging them up and
down the road to make dust, aud this dust made by
brush was the large force" that Porter found IN
his front on the road leading from Manassas sta
tion TO Gainesville.
WHERE GEN. GRANT Is MISTAKEN.
1t seems that Geu. Grant has fallen into the same
error by insisting in his article that LOngsreets
force was in front of Porter, when 1t was not at
any time in his 'front.' near his front, or facing
Gen. Grant says that the court-martial that tried
Porter made mistake. He says that the 4;S0
order ordering Porter TO attack al once contem-
right flank, and "that no doubt this was in the
mind of the court and of the commanding gem
cral."
Gen. Grant falls into an error here again. Gen.
Pope had the information at o'clock in the
morning that a force had passed through Gaines
vile (tiiteen regiments of Infantry ana Hve hun
dred cavalry, aud when he issued the order to
Porter in the morning It was to meet the force
that he knew TO he coming in that direction but
whether lie knew 1t when he issued his order In
the morning is immaterial, as he had the infor-
nation early that day.
After receiving this Information as general
he knew that the force coming down the road was
coming to Jackson's right and rear so as to attack
him Oh the left flank; and when he issued the
II.
had not contemplated the attack Of Longstreet on
the right flank, when he claims that Porter him.
self knew that Longstrsst was resting ms right
nothing in sight that he could attack except the
right flank of Longstreet
Gen. Grant makes plan, draws lines and puts
Jacksons 22000 men facing Pope's $4,000, and
places on this line Porter sqlarely fronting Long
streets 5000 men, when he must know, If he has
examined the evidence, that no such positions
were occupied during that day by the forces OF
Longstreet and Porter
Gen. Grant says: " As shown by this diagram,
Porter was not In q position TO attack the right
flank of jackson because BIO was at least three
miles away and not across his flank, as shown in
the first diagram. With Longstreets presence,
to have obeyed that order he would have been
obliged, with 10000 men, to have defeated 25,O 600
men in q chosen position before he could have
moved upon the flank of the enemy, as the order
Thus Gen. Grant puts Porter squarely in front
of Longstreet with his 25,OOO men, and says that
he could not have obeyed the order without first
He would have had TO have done that and then
turned around and attacked Jackson on the right
flank 1 admit this would have been requiring
too much uf q man whose movements were like
those OF Gen. Porter; Dut would ask Gen. Grant
to explain how 1t Is that Longsreet shows that he
had seven brigades ut this time attacking Pope't
left flank, yet he (GranD says that Porter would
have had to whip the whole 25,OO0.
lie Porter was certainly not required to whiI
any one. He wns only required TO attack the righ
flank OF the enemy, and the right flank of the
enemy was the right flank Of Lonstreet's command
He was part of the enemy, his flank being in the
Gen. Grant says. ".He was three miles away
from Jacksons flank"
If so then why not attack LongstIeet, whose
flank was sticking out in air where Porter coulo
have attacked it, as it was the only flank that pre-
sented itself where he could attack. How, then
was ne TO construe the order? Was he to order hi,
men to attack jackson, when the order did moi
say so2 Was ne TO say, "Longstreet's flank Il
sticking out there; can see it, but am not to at
tack that; he Is not the enemy! The order says tC
allack the enemy?" viii he say that does no
mean to attack Lougstreet"
This is the logic OF Gen. Grants position.
Gen. Grant also assumes that TO have attacked
under that order would have taken Porter unit
o'clock. inaSmuch as ne would have to make dis
position of some of his troops, issue orders &c.
How is 1t possible that # would have required
SO much time when he was sent out there tina
morning for the purpose Of fighting? What or
ders would he have been obliged TO issue excep
~ move the troops forward 10 the position of tn,
faux and put them in line And. as he moveC
up the road, with his troops following, one regi
meut right alter the other, and laced them to tn,
flank of the enemy, he would have been in lint
ready for battle
These men lay there the whole day prepared
las Grant says at IL O'Clock for the attack on tn
enemy. Does Gen. Grant come in now and say
would have taken him from 5 until o'clock Il
have made an an az aask @ yI wsen ms foSR were
were, at II o'clock on that day and as Gen. Gran
PORTER AND MDowELL
Lat us contrast also the action of Porter will
proves moved in liue of battle aud attacked th
enemy at o'clock, and MeDowells forces, with
Others along the line of Pope, were engaged II
battle until 0 o'clock at night.
Could not Porter have fought his troops at thi
hour as well as Gen. Mcdowell and other officer
did theirs?
Was ne to be a special exception to all rules Q
warfare?
do while others did the things he failed in?
wish to Gail Gen. Grants attention to one littl
thing which occurred during the war under hi
| command.
lie remembers the march that Mcpherson
troops made in the night from Jackson to Baker
| Creek.
Does he not remember that while Pembertor
| with nearly his whole army, was attacking Hovey'
| div sion, my division was moved In on the righ
of Hoyey, and Crocker supporting Hoyey, thes
| three divisions RECEIVING nearly the whole fore
| OF Pemberton's 10000 men
| does he not remember of one small brigade sc N
| by me with his ASSENT down through strip {
| woods Il distance of a mile or a mile and hal
away from the balance of the force, getting in o
| the left flank of Pembcrtons army? Does he nc
remembsr that that que little M brisade OF not NOR
| toms army, and tlat the latter became so panic
stricken that the whole army fed, and we cap
tured all the artillery and drove them that nigh
If brigade of 1000 men could do thi1 by strik
ing the flank Of the enemy, what does Gen. Gran
think Porter, with his corps, could have done b
| striking Long street in flank on that afternoon?
Thee may be this difference, however: Ger
| G ant will remember that his generals were 1
earnest. and supported him in all things that h
| required.
The evidence shows that after Porter receive
this 4:30 order, movement was made acros
| Dawkins's Branch by some of his troops and tn
general officer, while placing his troops In posi-
ton us though going TO move in the direction Q
| Longstraet's flank, looked around to see wher
the other troops were, aud found they were al
! retiring.
The evidence shows that they not only did nc
advance, or attempt 10 as 80 other than what
have stated, but that they Retired, and that som
of Porters command, TO VT, one Srigade, re
turned TO Centerville that night, distance 0. sey
eral miles
The evidence shows that Porter did not attemI
| to communicate with Pope during the day. bl
that all three of the notes he sent during the da
in reference to position, &c, were sent to No
| Dowell and King.