Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-12-07

OF That part OF the country without
tightingf But what is the difference,
Porter could neither fight nor harm the
enemy unless he got there to do it.
Not only so, but it was an order in
which the General had no right to eXer-
else his discretion; il was an imperative
order to move at Il o'clock in the
morning, and to be at Bristoe Station
by daylight
There could be no misunderstanding
Of the order, and under the eircum-
stances there was no excuse for not
obeying it. The facts are, there W. no
attempt to obey it, and the evidence
through the whole case shows thai Por-
ter did not intend to obey that or any
other order strictly, but intended to
obey only in such a way as to impede
the progress of Pope.
Porter did not arrive at Bristoe Station
until after 10 O'Clock the next day.
Gen. Grant says: Under the cir
cumstances his order flneaning Pope's)
required Of the troops an impossibility,
that was quite evident to Porter
In what is this statement Justified?
Certainly not by the evidence; certainly
not by any knowledge that Gen. Grant
had Of the ground over which Porter
was to march, any more than any one
else who reads the evidences; certainly
not on account of the road; not on ac-
count of its being constructed: not on
account of the condition of the troops,
as some of them had been resting from
10 o'clock that day until that time; GER
tainly not on account of the distances;
and on no account whatever as disclosed
by the evidence in the esse, except an
indisposition on the part of Gen. Porter
TO support Gen. Pope in fighting that
battle.
This much | have said, based upen
~undisputed testimony, in answer to Gen.
Grants justification of Porter's disobe-
dicnce of Pope's order of $3.50 D.. m,
Aug. q, 1862"
a brief review of the situation imme-
diately preceding the 4:30 order is then
given showing that Pope had issued an
order at $3.50 a. m, for Porter to move
at daylight to Centeryille which was
not obeyed. Finding Longstrect was
moving to the support of Jackson Pope
issued the order to move, in writing,
the other having been verbal. This
order was handed 10 Porter at 8 O'Clock
his troops being ready to move. Gen.
Logan then says;
''Let me ask: How did he obey this
order? He states in his W testimony
before the Mcdowell Court OF Inquiry
that he did not move until 10 o'clock.
His line Of march was on the road from
Manassas Station across Dawkins,.
Branch to Gainesville, passing some two
miles to the left of Groyeton-the whole
distance being eight miles. He moved
slowly and leisurely and arrived at
Dawkins' Branch at II o'clock, a dis
lance of five miles. BY this time Long
street hadhis command between Gaines
vile and GrovetOn, forming his line on
Pageland Lane, to the right and rear of
jackson, his right resting on the old
Manassas Gap Railroad. which lay be-
tween the Warrenton Il Centerville turn
pike and the road upon which Porter
was marching, his (Longstreet's 81 right
not coming nearer than about one-half
mile Of the route over which Porter
would march to Gainesville. In fact,
il Porter had moved forward his COM
mand would have ONE square upon
Longstreet's right flank.
At DaWkins' Branch, Gen. Mcdowell.
came up to the head of Porter column.
having what is known Us the Joint order
or an order to Mcdowell and Porter
both to proceed to Gainesville. Here
Porter had halted, and insisted that
the enemy were in his Immediate front
He put out y few skirmishers and stop
ped his whole command, stretching
along the road back to Bethel Chapel,
nearly three miles, and remained in that
position the whole day.
At this point Mcdowell showed Porter
the joint order to proceed TO Gainesville
at the same time giving him the inror-
nation sent to Pope by Buford Of the
passage Of the fifteen regiments of in
fantry aud 800 cavalry through Gaines
vile that morning, This was the only
information that Porter had Oh the sub
iect of Longstreet' forces, as he stated
himself.
Mcdowell, finding that it was inn
possible to pass Porter forces in the
road with his command, went back and
took his command on a road off to the
right, reaching out to the real of Pope's
forces that were then engaged in battle.
He marched, and arrived in time to
put his forces in action, and fought them
until 8 o'clock that evening"
Gen. Grants claim that Porter was
confronted by Longstreet with $4,000
men is then taken up and dissected
showing that instead Of Longstreet con
fronting Porter he was two miles and
a half away and on another road. II
Porter had moved forward from Daw-
kins Branch ho would have attacked
Longstreet in the flank and rear and
forced him TO change front, when if
Porter had been outnumbered he had
the open road back of him to retreat
over. The article then continues, after
examining the strength of the respec-
tive forces showing the combined forces
Of the Confederates to be 1900 and
Unionists 40, 900:
in all battles Gen. Grant well knows
that men are not formed in one straight
line, OF attacked in one place: but the
attacks are made wherever the enemy
is found, and wherever there IS a posi-
ton for attacking, and will he say that
. flank attack is not the best attack that
one array eau make upon another unless
the rear is left open to attack?
VIII he contend Gas he has in this
article) that the intention was that Por-
ter should attack Jackson on his left
when he was directed to attack the ne
my in the flank? Does he consider
Lougstrcet's command any less the enc
my than Jachson's command?
Gen. Longstreet in his report of chat
b tile to Gen. Lee state that:
about I O'Clock In the afternoon The
enemy began 70 press forward against
Geu Jaekson's position. Nileox's brig
AIDES were moved back to their former
position, and Hood two brigades. sup
ported by Evans, were quickly thrust
forward 10 the attack. Atthe same time
/ WilcoXs three brigJdes made q like adj
vance, aS also Iuntou's Brigade of
4 kemperS command,
Now we will see how many troops
| there were.
Wilcox had three srigade, and Hood
two 6~rigadcs, Evans 9ne, and Hinton
one.
Seven brigades OF L0nestreet's com
mand (be>ides his artillery, that were
formedin battery and playing ~furiously
upon Pope's left in the direction Of
Groveton, and ut o'clock were attack
ing Pope'S left at that very time, and
they were not withdrawn. but continued
the onslaught. At . O'Clock cone hour
later) Gen Porter received the - 80
order 10 attack the enemy's right and
rear nj once. At this very moment
when he was ordered to attack the larg-
Ell portion OF Long>t.eetS forces were
r~uVaoPd AGAINST P0peAS forces in front