The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-01-07
GEN. FITZ JOHN PORTER =.

dates for the presidency, one of the most fla
grant and unjus,liable cases was that of Gen.
Fltz John Porter. Next to Mcclellan, during
the first year and a half of the war, he had
shown the most conspicuous ability and pre-
scented the brightest promise OF brilliant
career. In the eyes of Stanton the greater
ability shown by a democratic officer the
greater was his crime and the more absolute
the necessity to weed HIM out. When the
malign eye of Stanton became fixed upon an
army officer he was doomed, and the battle of
Chickahominy placed Porter under that evil
eve. 1t was not, however, until at the close Of
the disastrous second battle of Bull Run that
the opportunity occurred for Stanton to carry
his fell purpose INTO execution. The oilense
of Porter in connection with that battle was
simply this. The most unreasonable liar AS
we'll as incompetent and blatherskltc IN the
army, Gen. John Pope, was in command of
the federal forces His army outnumbered the
rebels nearly two TO one, but he was no more
able to manage it than an average Pennsylva.
mia militia captain would have been. With
his headquarters in the saddle" however, he
plunged about from point to point on the field,
issuing orders right and left half of which
were impracticablc and others unintelliglble,
and among others was an order to Fitz John
Porter to attack the rebels at a certain point at
certain hour Porter did not make the attack
as directed for the simple and obvious reason
that when he reached the point at the hour
designated there was no rebel force there, nor
at any time afterwards. Pope needed scape-
goat to bear the SIN Of his conspicuous incom.
potency, and he made one of Fitz John Porter.
The charge against him was dsobedlence of
orders. Stanton rs usual selected court mar.
tial "sworn to try and ordered to convict" and
Porter was found guilty and dismissed from
the army in disgrace.
Until the end Of the war the public general
ly acquiesced in the decision, as there was no
evidence available to dIsprove the finding of
the Stanton court martial. When the demo
Gratis got possession of congress, however, they
found means to procure for Porter rehearing
and To this court mass of evidence from the
rebel side became available to which of course
the first court had no access. This evidence
proved abundantly and most conclusively that
} Porter had been in the right-tliat the rebel
corps he was ordered by Pope to attack was
miles away at the time, and that it was impos
sibc to execute the order. The court so found
} and reported to congress, but 1t was found be
yond establishing the facts in the case con
gress had no power in the matter The res
remained with President Hayes who alone
could restore Porter to his position in the ar
my, and the weak old fraud was incapable o
dong "A political opponent such simple nc
of justice.
Among those who had been most bitter an(
vcnomous IN their hostility to Porter was Gen
Grant Less than year ago, at a banquet II
New York city, he said he had gone over tn,
evidence IN Porter's case several times and tn,
only error in IL, as he understood it, was tina
Porter was not ordered to be shot, Since then
however, it appears Porter has found means
to approach Gen. Grant and induce him I,
read over the new evidence in the case as lait
before the new court martial that had been sc
cured for him by democratic congress. Tn,
result Is surprise to the whole republican
camp, and is given in the New York Times o
Monday in Grants own words as follows
! The statements IN reference to my HAVING
changed my mind IN reference To the case %
I Gen. Porter are correct. | had fully made uI
my mind that the judgment of the first cour
martial was a just one. Recently, however, a
the request of Gen. Porter, have read owe,
all Of the testimony in the case, and found tina
the acts were very different from what had
j hitherto believed. | am of the opinion that
had all of the testimony and documents now
available been brought before the court mar
tial, there would have been no verdict agains
Gen. Porter. The orders of the confederate
generals show that the confederate army was
just where Porter said 1t was, aud not where
j the court martial was led TO believe II was
For nineteen years | have believed that the
I finding of the court was just one, and war
7 ran,cd; but now see that | am in error
i communicated my conclusions to Gen. Logan
who rs a warm personal friend of mine, de
sired to understand my position. | shall write
out my views, and it Is quite likely that my
statement will find Its way into print The
i first step 10 be taken, provided the government
can be brought to see the matter In the same
i light that do Is to restore to Gen Porter hi:
good name and give HIM back his reputation
as soldier Ultimately he may be restored &c
the army, but that is point that do not car,
To talk about.
1t is needless to say that this change of mint
on the part of Gen. Grant has produced a de
cided sensa,loa in military and political circles
abou, Washington. and it is now reported tina
the senate military committee would act favor
ably upon 1t should the President nominate
Porter to the senate for restoration to his ranl
in the army. There Is no doubt that Gen
Grant has written letter 10 President Arthu
in Porter's behalf, asking him TO lay the mat
ter before the attorney general for his opinion
n Senator Logan, however, who is chairman o
the senate military committee and has Tough
j.. Porter with the utmost bitterness at every OF
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