Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-11-16
GRANT AND PORT Err.


rl.e Ex- General Explains How Gen. Terry
Caused Him to revise His Opinion OF
Porter's Guilt He VIII Never Cease II )
Defense OF the Claim. #$ + + s . :. MI
! The following letter was made public at
New York Wednesday: e. NJ e 3 Il
New YORK: Nov. 3, 1883 Gen r. j. Por-
ter, MorristoWn, n J--Dear General: AS
there is now some discussions as to the proha-
bic reasons for my change of mind ia regard
to your case. now pending before the peopls OF
tbs United States, deem it proper That
should give them myself. In the first place,
I never believed you to be q traitor, az many
affected to believe. ! though, knew you too
we'll to believe for one moment that you
| mand you held for the purpose
Of betraying the ~ cause you were
protesting 10 serve. Then, too your services
had been too conspicuous as a staff officer at
the beginning Of the war aud as commander
OF II oops later TO support such theory for q
moment But I did believe that Gen. Pope was
80 odious to some Of the officers in the East
thai a cordial support WAS not given him by
them. WAS disposed, too, TO accept the vor-
dict Of a court-martial composed as the Que
which tried you was. Some Of the mem
bess Of that court I knew personally.
Judgment and justice. I supposed
you had shared III this feeling toward
Pope, aud while not more guilty than others
you were unfortunate in being placed in d po-
sltior. where specifications could be made show
ing this hostility. After the close OF the war,
when ! was requested to Rad your new de-
tense, I read it with the feeling above de-
scribed. at the same time I read the other
side as prepared or furnished by Gen. Pope
This gave maps showing the 20 siton OF The
two armies, substantially as shown by the first
Of tue diagrams Pre- ssnted by Mr. LORD OF San
Francisco, aud did not indicate the presence Of
any other force than Jackson's Then. too. it
| appeared that you had actually received an
order at about Eve or halt. past i've in the after
noon Of Aug. 20 TO attack the enemy's fl INK,
and that too, az a time when fierce battle was
raging in the front
Twas first shaken in MP viaws, however.
when such man as Gen. Terry, who un!tes
the lawyer with he soldier, and man OF high
character and ability, and who ha'! believed as
/ had, and possibly worse, aft r many Weeks
of vesti:,ation, should entirely vniicats yon,
and be sustained, too, by mon of the kn'wn
ability Of his Colleagues on the board. Until
in 1881 re-examined for rnvs>lf, my
beli'f was that the 29th or August,
1862, 8 great battle was fought between
Gen. Pope, commanding the U'1on torres, ID
| forces; that you, wi Il a corps of twelve or
more thousand men, stood in u position across
the right fink Of Jackson, and where you
could easily get into his rear; that You re-
caved an ordar to d. SO about or $50
O'Clock, which you refused to obey because Of
clouds of dust in your front, Which YOU con-
tended indicated an emmy IN super or force to
you; that You allowed Pope to get beaten while
you stood idly looking on without rai~ing all
arm to help him. With this understanding,
and without q doubt as TO It's correceness, l
condemned you.
Now, on full investigation of the facts, l
find that the bat le was fought the 3O n of
August; that yoar corps, commanded d rec y
by You IN perroD, lost q greater percentage
than any Other corps engaged; that the half
past tour order of the day before did not reach
you until nightfa]l; that your immediate
superior had eau sioned you early in the day
chat you wero too far out to the front
then; that Gen. Pope had cautioned you
against bringing on an enga lem"nF, ex-
cept under such circumstances as be d.
be prepared to fail back behind Bull Run that
nigh where it would be necessary Cor you TO
be to receive supplies; that from Il O'Clock Of
the 29th you were confronted by force OF
twice your own number, OF whose presence
you had positive proof, while Gen. Pope did
| wording Of the 1880 order. It direc'el You to
! attack he enemy's right and to get into his
rear. Gen. Pope's circular of the morning Of
the 29;h saia that Gen. Lee was Advancing by
way of Thoroughfare Gap, AMI at the rate at
which he WAS moving he would be up the u ghs
Ol VIC COGu VI tAo 1utiu1AS VI VIC - iS" la 1'o
testimony before the court martial which tried
you, he said under oath that he dld not know
of the arrival of Lees command until O'clock
of the 29:h, an hour and half after be had
dictated tho order for your attack. His clrcu ar
aud testim my prove conclusivsly that Jackson,
and Jack on one, was the euemy he i'll
tended you to attack. Your knowledge of this
fact, as we'll a. Of the fact that you had another
, force quite double yours, in addition III your
front would have been sufficient ju~tfica 5iou
for your not attacking, even il the order had
been received in time Of course, this would
not apply if battle had been raging between
Jackson and Pope. At the hour you received
the order ali was quiet
This very Short hastily written, and incom-
p!ete summary shows why and when my mind
underwent change. have no doubt now but
the change wonid have taken place III 1852 if
had then made an investiy a1inn. I regre. now
that I did not understand your case til as
do now. Your whole life s .ncs your trial, as
we'll as your services before, dirprove the ,r~at
burden of tho charges then sustained by q
court-martial AS long as l have voice 1t
shall be raised in your support without
any reference t. the eff CT upon me or
others Your restoration 10 the arm: simply l
would regard as very inadequate AMI unjust
reparaion while m-n-one at east-have been
restored to the army berause of their galiantrY
and wounds after oouvictin and sentence not
only to be dismissed, but to be confined in d
penitentiary. and when there is no doubt Of
their gnit. and given all their pay for the Years
reason for your having less. l hope for you a
in the minds Of your couutrymeu. Faithfully
r,,,,,s TT g Gp.Nr