Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-11-09
INDICATED.
Grant Gives His Reasons for De-
Tending General Porter.
WHY HE CONDEMNED HIM YEARS AGO.
What He has Since Learned BY Making
Careful InquirY-Pope's Ignorance
of the Presence of a Third
ARMY at Porter's Front.


General Grants letter to General Fitz John
Porter, of which brief mention was made
in last nights dispa. ches:
New YORK, November I, 1888.
General F. j. Porter MOrriStown, ~ j.:
DEAR GENERAL-As there is now some
discussion as to the probable reasons for
my change of mind in regard TO your eassS
now pending before the people OF the
United States, l deem it proper that l
should give them myself.
In the first place,
Never Believed You
to be traitor, as many affected to believe.
thought knew you too well to believe
for one moment that you would accept the
pay, rank and command you held for the
purpose of betraying the cause you were
proies sing to serve. Then, too, your SER
vices had been too conspicuous as a stall
officer at the beginning of the war and as a
commander OF troops later, to support such
a theory for moment. But did believe
that General Pope was so odious to some
Of the officers in the East that
CardiaI Support WAS not Given
him by them. was disposed to accept the
verdict of court martial composed as the
one which tried you was, Some OF the
members of that court knew personally,
and had great confidence in their Judg
ment and justice. | supposed you had
shared In this feeling toward Pope, and
while not more guilty than others, you
were unfortunate in being placed N po
sition where specifications could ne maze,
showing this hostility.
After the close OF the war, when Was
requested
To Read Your Defeuse.
| read it with the feeling above described.
At the same time read the other side as
prepared-or furnished-by General Pope.
This gave maps showing the positions OF
The two armies, substantially as shown by
the first OF the diagrams presented by Mr..
Lord. in your case-and did not indicate
the presence of any other force than Jack.
sons. Then, too, it appeared that you had
actually received an order at about 3 or
half-past in the afternoon OF August
29tb, to
and that, too, at a time when fierce bat
tie was raging in the front.
was first shaken in my views, however.
when such man as General Terry, who
unites the lawyer and the soldier, and a
man of high character and ability, and who
had believed as had, and possibly worse,
after many weeks OF investigation, should
entirely Vindicate You, and be sustained
too, by men of the known ability OF his
colleagues on the Board. Until in 1881 |
re.examined for myself, my belief was
hat on the 29!h of August, 1852,
A Great Battle was Fought
between General Pope, commanding the
Union forces, and General Jackson, com,
manGing the Confederate forces; that you,
with corps Of twelve or more thousand
men, stood in position across the right
flank Of Jackson, and where you could
easily get into his rear; that you received
an order to do so about , or half past .
o'clock which you refused TO obey because
| Of clouds OF dust in your front, which, you
| contended, indicated an enemy in superior
| force TO you; that you allowed Pope 10 get
beaten, while you stood idly looking on
| without Raising an Arm TO Help Him.
With this understanding, and without a
| doubt as TO the correctness of it, | con
| demned you. Now, on full investigation
| of the facts, / find that the battle was
| fought on the 3uth OF August that your
| CORPS, commanded directly by you in per
| son, iost a greater percentage than any
| other corps engaged; that the half past 1
| order of the day did not reach you until
| uightfall that your immediate superior
had cautioned you early IN the day that
| YOU were TOO far out to the front; then
tlat General Pope had cautioned you
q ainst
Bringing on au Engagement.
! excert under such circumstances as he de-
sired, and that in any event you must be
Il ELL knn1 hnl, id nr,i1 ~ ~ that
| night, where it would be necessary for you
| 10 be to receive supplies; that from II
| o'clock Of the 10Th you were confronted by
| a force of twice your own number, OF
| whose presence you had positive proof,
| while General Pope did not know OF IT.
| This last fact is shown by the wording OF
| the halfpast 4 order. 1t directed You 10
| attack the enemy's right, snd to get into
his rear.
General P0pe's Circular
| of the morning OF the 18th said that Gen.
| eral Lee was advancing by way OF Thor
\ Oughfare Gap. At the rate at which he
| was II owing he would be up on the night
| of the 30th or morning of the 3lst. In his
| testimony before the courtmartial, which
| tried ycu, he said under oath that he did
| not know Of the arrival OF Lees command
| until 6 o'clock OF the Goth, an hour and d
| half after he had dictated the order for
your attack. His circular and testimony
| prove conclusively that Johnson and Jack,
| son alone was the enemy he intended you
| 20 attack.
Your knowledge Of this Fact,
as well as of the fact that you had another
force, quite double yours in addition, in
| your front, would have been sufficient JUS.
| tlicstion for your not attacking even il
| the order had been received in time. OF
course this would not apply ii q battle had
| been raging between Jackson and Pope.
At the hour you received the order all was
quiet.
This very short, hastily written and in
complete summary shows why and when
my mind underwent change. | have no
| doubt now, but the change would have
| taken place in 1867 If had then made an
| investigation. | regret now that | did not
Understand Your Case Then,
as do now. Your whole life since your
trial as we'll as your service before, dis
proves the great burden of the charges.
| then sustained by Court Martial. As
lopg as have voice it shall be raised in
your support, without any reference TO the
| effect upon me or others. Your restora.
ton 10 the Army, simply, would regard
| as very inadeq uste and un ust reparation.
While men-one at least-have been re-
stored to the army because of their gal.
lsptry and wounds after conviction and
sentence, not only to be dismissed but TO
be confined in a penitentisry, and when
there is no doubt OF their guilt, and given
sll their pay for the years they were out OF
the service.
Can Sec NO Reason
for your having less. l hope for you a
/ thorough vindicstion, not only by Con-
gress, but in the minds of your coun try.
men.
Faithfully yours, I. S. GRANT.
IT, co,nap cIosSes in rharca nf Rsy