Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-21

AS shown by this diagram, Porter was
not in position to attack the right flank
of jackson, because he was at least three
miles away, and not across his flank, as
shown in the first diagram. With Long
streets presence, to have obeyed that
order he would have been obliged, with
10000 mon, to have defeated 25,-
600 men in chosen position.
before he could have moved upon the flank
of the enemy, as the order directed. Bat,
even if the position Of Lees army had
been thirty-six to forty-eight hours distant,
as asserted in the joint order to Mcdowell
and Porter, it would have been impossible
for Porter to have obeyed the 30 order,
because it did not contemplate a night at
tack, and was not received by Porter until
about dark. To have obeyed it would have
required some little preparation, move
ment Of troops and distribution of orders,
80 that it would have been some time after
dark beforeihe could have moved from the
position he was then occupying, and at
least as late as o'clock at night before hs
could have reached Jackson's flank TO en-
gage It. Els efforts 20 execute the order,
Notwithstanding its apparent inappropri-
atensss, demonstrate this assertion.
consider that these facts, with many
more that we're brought to the knowledge
OF the Schofeld board, fully eso2erat6 Gen.
Porter OF the charge Of disObediencs OF
what is known as the 4:3O order, and also
Of the imputation of lukewarmness in his
support Of the commanding general.
great deal might be said of the move
ments, the marching and countermarching
of troops between the date Of the order Of
the 9th Of August and the receipt of the
order Of the 29th, which would throw light
upon this question; but I abstain from
giving it, because I believe that what is
stated here covers all the points wherein
Gen: Porter has been charged with being
delinquent.
Gen. Porter has now for twenty years
been laboring under the disabilities and
penalties inflicted upon him by the court
martial OF 1862, all that time contending
for restoration to his position Ia the
army and in society, and always, as stated
in the beginning of this article, Oh the
ground of his entire innocence. The in
vestigation of tho Schohsld board has, in
my Judgment, established his innocence OF
all the o6enses for which he was tried anu
convicted. The sufferings of twenty years,
under such findings, for himself and fam
lily and friends, is something it is now i'm
possible to set right. Twenty years of the
best part of his life have been consumed
in trying to have hislname and his reputa-
ton restored before his countrymen.
In his application now be-
fore congress he is asking
only that he may be restored to the rolls
Of the army, With the rank that he would
have If the court-martial had never been
held. This, in my Judgment. is very
small part of what it is possible to do in
this case, and what ought to be DONE Cen
eral Porter should, in the way of partial
restitution, be declared by congress to
have been convicted on mistaken testimo-
ny, and therefore, to have never been out
OF the army. This would make him a
major general of volunteers until the
date might be fixed for his muster out as
of that rank, after which he should
be continued as colonel of infantry
and brevet brigadier general of the United
States army from the date of the act, when
he could be placed upon the retired list
with that rank.
In writing what have here written
mean no criticism upon the court which
tried General Porter, nor upon the officers
under whom or with whom he served. Il
is easy to understand. in the condition OF
the public mind as it was in 1862, when the