Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-12-07
Sassed by Logan and Brought to Bear Upon
Grants Recent Argument In Favor of
a Fftz-JOhn Porter.

Iassed by Logan and Brought to Bear Upon
Grants Recent Argument In Favor of
q Fitz-John Porter.
y Gen. Logan in a letter to the Chicago
Tribue and recently published in that
journal answers the specious plea Of Gen.
Grant in the North American Review,
fayoring a restoration Of Fitz-John
Porter TO the army.
Gen. Logan opens his reply by eX-
pressing a dislike for any discussion
with Gen. Grant on the subject while
reminding the latter that il vas his ex-
pressions of faith in Porter's guilt which
had confirmed the writer in his own
conclusions.
Gen. Logan then goes on TO state the
positions Of the opposite forces and the
events which led up to the $50 order
quoting that order in full. He then
says:
when this order was delivered Capt,
Drake DE Kay was instructed to re-
main with Porter and direct him on the
road to Bristoe Station, a distance Of
about nine miles.
. This order was delivered to Gen.
Porter Gas Capt. Drake De Kay teSti-
fies) at about half after 9 p. IN.
Gen. Porter decided not TO move at
/ o'clock, as directed, but at 3 o clock
on the morning Of the 2Sth, but in fact
did not move from his tent, as the evil
dcnce shows, or move lis troops, until
after sunrise on the morning of the
28th.3
The reasons given by Gen. Grant in
Justification of Porter's disobcdIences
OF the blocked roads, exercise Of his
Judgment etc, are here quoted. Con-
tinuing Gen. Porter says:
Gen. Grant says that Porter wanted
o to obey the order, because lie sent two
men to Gen. Pope, a distance Of nine
miles, to ask Pope to clear the road for
him.
would like to ask Gen. Grant if dur
ing his command Of armies lie had is
sued an order to one of his command
ING Generals to move his troops and
that commanding General had sent back
word to Gen. Grant To ..elear the road
for him So that he might move what
Kind Of an answer he would have given
that GeneralP
The troops that Pope was with had
been fighting that day. Does Gen.
Grant pretend to say that they were in
better condition to ''clear the road
than the troops oi Porter that were to
march on the road? Did he ever know
an instance of a commanding General
of 4 corps asking the commanding Gen
eral OF the army to .'clear the wagon,
out of the road so that he himself
could march, when he had the very
troops marching along the road whose
duty it was TO perform that Office fol
themselves?
Gen. Grants statement that the
road was a bad road, in bad condition
almost impossible, outside of being full
of wagons is not supported by tht
testimony. The evidence OF those who
passed over the road is positive to tn,
effect that the road was in good con
dition; that there was a railroad opel
from Warrenton junction to Bristo,
Station on which infantry troops coul(
have marched; that there was q roa,
/. ON eitherside Of this railroad, plain, opel
and passable.
The evidence further shows that whel
Gen. Pope sent this order to Gen. Porte
he (Pope) ut the same time rode up t
Gen. Myers (the Chief Quartermastc
having charge of the trains) and notiiieC
him that Porter would march on tina
road that night, and that he must cleal
it of wagons and all impediments 81
that there would be no obstruction t,
the march.
NO DISTRACTIONS.
The evidence further shows, that n
the time the'order was deliyeredt) Gen
Porter, the wagons were going intt
.--I IL a 4I.4 IL tn 49,
into park, aud that from the time &
o'clock in the morning that he wa:
ordered to march, there was no obstruc
tion whatever on the road; and that th,
road was kept clear until after daylight
ON the morning of the 2Sth, at which
time Gen. Porler's orders required hin
TO be ut Bristoe station. but that th,
wagons left the park on the suppositiol
that the troops had passed, and they dp
again enter the road after daylight OF
the 2Sth, and that the only obstruction
that there was TO his march was tht
road being INSTRUCTED after4the time h,
was to have been ut BriStoe's Station
that he did not move his command til,
next morning until after these parkeg
trains had c mmenced pulling out int,
the road to move to Bristoe Station.
As regards the darkness of the night
if Gen, Grant has read the evidence
carefully me viii lind that other troop.
moved that same night in fact Wer,
moving all night-Got only troops be
longing to the Union army under Pope
but that the whole Confederate ARM
under jackson, composed of $500,
men. moved on that night, with all theii
wagons and baggage, from Ecntervil,,
To the position which they held on thC
18th, the day of the battle.
would like Gen. Grant to answer
the question. how it was that the whole
Confederate army could movda distance
equal, il not greater, than that whict
Porter WAS ordered to move. and take
their positions during that night tc dc.
feud themselves against the assault 81
Pope,s army, aud that Porter, who wa,
expected To take part in that battle.
could not move the distance Of niut
miles along the road where the wagon,
had been removed or parked ont of hi,
W3y2
tien. Grant well knows that marches
have to be made under great difficulties
whore the commanding officer is pre-
pairing fer action. either night or day.
ram or SHINE, and | know GET many IT.
stances that | could mention wher.
troops under Gen. Grant. especially in
the Western army. moved through
storm, rain, and in the night. whether
light or dark, and | could give an in
stance where troops were moved under
his command where they had 10 build
the road rs they nominating bridges
also-aud never heard of an officer
that was ordered 10 move under TIM,
direction having to send to the General
Of the army for cavalry TO clear the
road Of wagons for infantry to march
on"
no DOM FOR DISCRETION.
Gen. Grant says that Porter could ex-
ercise his discretion about obeying this
order strictly for the reason that he was
not ordered there to fight, but merely 20
pursue the enemy"