Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-29


Gen. Grant also says:
IF the night had been clear, and the
road an open one, there would not have
been so much Justification and, continu-
ing he describes the road as being in a
'terrible condition almost impassable.''
am very much surprised at this state
ment of Gen. Grants, inasmuch as he goes
| far beyond the evidence in the case to JUS
tlfy the disobedience of said order by Por-
| ter.
The evidence in the case shows that a
| great portion of Porters's troops had been
IN camp at Warren'oa Junction from 10
| O'Clock IN the morning, where they had
Deen resting the whole day. The evidence
| does not show that the generals could not
OBEY the order, but that they only COM
Pialhed That the troops we're tired and ia
| tgued. This, Gen. Grant knows, HAS mill
1tary man, is an excuse common in any
army that troops are fatigued VIII en- they
| are ordered to march either in the night or
at any other time when they desire to rest
And he knows farther that it is not an ex-
cuse justified by any one in time of neces-
sity when an order can be obeyed.
| Gen. Grant says that Porter wanted to
obey the order, because he sent two men
to Gen. Pope, disvaDce of nine miles, to
ask Pope to clear the road for him.
would like to ask Gen. Grant if during
his command of armies he had issued an
order to one of his commanding generals
to move his troops and that commanding
general had sent back word to Gen. Grant
to "clear the road for him. so that he
might move, what kind of an answer he
would have given that general?
| The troops that Pope was with had been
fighting that day. Does Gen. Grant pre-
tend to say that they were in better condi-
| ton to "clear the road" than the troops of
Porter that were to march on the road?
Did he ever know of an instance of a COM
handing general of corps asking the
commanding general of the army to ''clear
| the wagons out of the road so that he him
self could march, when he had the very
| troops marching along the road whose duty
1t was to perform that Office for themselves?
Gen. Grants statement that 1.-The road
was bad road i'll bad condition, almost
impossible, outside of being full of veg
ons," is not supported by the testimony.
The evidence OF those who passed over the
road is positive To the effect that the road
was i'll good condition; that there was a
railroad open from Warrenton Junction
to Bristoe Station on which infantry troops
could have marched, that there was a road
on either side Of this railroad, plain, open,
and passable.
The evidence further shows that when
Gen. Pope sent this order to ,Gen. Porter,
he lPope) at the same time rode up to
Gen. Myers (the chief quartermaster hav-
ing charge of the trains) and notified him
that Gen. Porter would march on that road
that night, and that he must clear it of
1 md oil ~
would be no obstruction to the march.
| NO DISTRACTIONS.
The evidence further shows, that at the
time the order was delivered to Gen. Por-
ter, the wagons were going into park off
of the road; that they did go into park,
and that from the time Il o'clock) in the
morning that he was ordered to march,
there was no obstruction whatever on the
road; and that the road was Kept clear I'M
til after daylight on the morning OF the
28th, at which time Gen. Porters
orders required him to be at Bristoe Sta
ton, bnt that the wagons left the park on
the supposition that the troops had passed,
and they did again enter the road after
daylight on the 20th, and that the
only obstruction that there was to hi,
march was the road being INSTRUCTED afte.
the time he was to have been at BrIstoe's
station; that he did not move his command
the next morning until after these parked
trains had commenced pulling out into the
road to move to Bristoe Station.
AS regards the darkness of the night, if
Gen. Grant has read the evidence carefully
he will find that other troops moved that
same night-in fact were moving all night
not only troops belonging to the Union
army under Pope, but that the whole con-
federate army under jackson, composed of
$4,000 men, moved on that night, with all
their wagons and baggage, from Center
vile to the position which they held on the
Goth, the day Of the bate.
1 would like Gen. Grant to answer the
question, how it was that the whole con-
federate army could move distance equal.
if not greater, than that which Porter was
ordered to move, and take their positions
during that night to defend themselves
against the assault of Pope's army, and
that Porter, who was expected to take part
in that battle, could not m I'VE the distance
of nine miles along the road where the
wagons had been removed or parked out
of his way?
| Gen. Grant well knows that marches
have to be made under great difficulty
where the commanding officer is prepar-
ing for action, either night or day, rain or
shine, and know of many instances that
1 could mention where troops under Gen.
Grant, especially in the Western army,
moved through storm, rain, and in the
night, whether light or dark, and I could
give an instance where troops were moved
under his command where they had to
make the road as they went-making
bridges also-and never heard of an Off
Ger that was ordered to move under that
direction having to send to the general of
the army for cavalry to clear the road of
wagons for infantry to march ON
NO ROOM FOR DISCRETION
Gen. Grant says that Porter could exer-
else his discretion about obeying this Or
der strictly for the reason that he was not
ordered there to fight. but merely to spur
sue the enemy"
! 1t will not do to say this, for the very
order itself notifies Porter that he must be
there at daylight. for the reason that he
wanted to drive JackSOn'S army ont of {hat