Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-01-06

Hon. William j. Sewell, U. s. senator.
Dear Sir--You kindly offered your ser
vices in the matter of my vindication
and am grateful to you for your out
spoken friendship. As an active partici-
pant in the struggle on the second Ma
nassas field of action, as we'll as senator
from my state, I beg of you to present
to the president my appeal and accom-
panying documents, and ask of him in
the name of long delayed justice, early
consideration and earnest action on its
merits. With my appeal is letter from
Gen. Grant to the president, and have
his assurance of a further personal ap-
peal in the near future, he feeling deeply
interested in the result, having through
misunderstanding of the facts failed to
act when the matter was before him as
general executive and as president of the
United States. There are also several
petitions from officers of high rank, and,
indeed, from soldiers of all grades, gen.
orally cognizant of the fact, from New
York city, and other cities in New York,
from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachu-
sets, Pennsylvania, and also from
numerous citizens Of Philadelphia
Numerous other petitions from officers
and soldiers from several states were pre-
sented to congress at the last session, and
there were many in the hands of President
Hayes when he appointed an advisory
board, including appeals from the legis-
latures of New Hampshire, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania; also, arguments from
able jurists. (See note following sigma
ture. )The few of these that have been
able to recover have appended to my
appeal, 80 it may be seen how much
large class of citizens have
been interested in this case,
and last, but not least, take that which,
under the circumstances, may be sanction
ed, the liberty of sending private letter
to me from Gen. Terry, whose manly ut
terances are only equalled by those of
Gen. Grant. am truly yours,
(Signed) F. j. PORTER.
NoTE.-See pages 1856 to 400, and 544
to $50 of vol of proceedings of board as
published by the. senate.
THE PETITION.
New YORK. Dec. %, 1861. To the
President at Washington. Sir: l res
pectfully represent that in January 1864.
by court martial, l was most unjustly de-
ciared guilty of charges against me and
sentenced to be cashiered and forever
declared disqualified from holding any
Office of trust or profit under the govern
ment of the United States. From the
promulgation of the verdict of that court
/ have protested my innocence of all
wrong doing, and asserted the injustice
of the sentence, and presenting sustain
ing evidence, have from time to time
urged a hearing.
In 1878 the president, in order to be
fully informed of the facts of the case,
and to be enabled to act advisedly upon
my application for relief, appoint ed
a board of army officers to ex-
anime into the merits of the case
and report what action, if any, in their
opinion justice required should be taken
on my application. That board, after a
thorough examination of the facts in the
case, indicated me in every respect, and
reported that in their opinion justice re-
quired at the hands of the president such
action as would be necessary to annul
and set aside the findings and sentence OF
the court martial, and restore me to the
position of which that sentence deprived
me, such restoration to take effect from
the date of dismissal from the service.
And respectfully and urgently represent
that the sentence is O continuing SEN
tence, and so long as it exists is within
the reach and under the control Of the
executive power. That harsh and bur-
densome originally, and lasting through
many years, it Is for stronger rea-
sons a subject for consideration
and action of the executive, now that it
is proved to have been COMPOUNDED with
error and unjust, and respectfully ask
YOU, if convinced of the justice of the
Recommendation of the advisory board,
to annul and set aside the finding and
sentence of the court martial, and nOmi-
nate me to the senate for restoration to
my rank in the army under the act of
congress, 1868, allowing that mode of re-
dress of wrong committed by court mar
tial, and this ask, not merely in justice
to me and those most dear to me, but in
Justice to the army to which l belonged,
and which has ever believed in me, and
to the government which honored and
trusted me.
Very respectfully yours,
(Signed) FITz JOHN PORTER.
LETTER OF GEN. GRANT.
NEW YORK, Dec. %, 1sS1.-To the
President. Washington, D. C.---Dear sir:
At the request of Gen. Fltz John Porter,
have recently reviewed his trial and the
testimony furnished before the Schefield
court of inquiry held In 1879, giving to
the subject three full days Of careful
reading and consideration, and much
thought in the intervening time. Read.
| ing Of the whole of this record has thor
oughly convinced me that for these nine
teen years 1 have been doing a gallant
and efficient soldier very great injustice
| in thought and sometimes IN speech,
| feel it incumbent now to do whatever lies
| in nv power to remove from him, and
from his family, the stain upon
| his good name. feel this more incum-
| bent upon me than should if L had been
corps commander only, or occupied any
| other command in the army than the one
| which did. But as general had posi-
bly, in my power to have obtained for him
the hearing which he only got at later
day. and as president certainly had the
power to have ordered a hearing. In
justification for my injustice to Gen. Por-
| fer 7 can ONLY state that shortly after