The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-20
FITZ JOHN PORTER.
The Attitude of the Hunter Court Martial
What Gen. Garfield Said About the Case,
ooria IN Special to Chicago Tribune.

regarding the Fitz John, Porter affair by re
porter to-day, with the following result;
Mr. Brooks said he was one of the witnesses
called to sustain the charges against Porter be
fore the original court-martal of which Major
general David Hunter was president and Gen
eral Garfield member; and was also witness
sixteen years later, in October 1879, before the
Schofeld board of inquiry. convened by order of
President Hayes at Governors Island, New
York. He further said:
II met General Garfield after my return to
Washington in the winter of 1879, and naturally
fell into conversation with him regarding this
business, for it was then as now, leading
topic of current talk and had printed few
editorials in the Republican about it, the author
ship of which had been charged to General Hun
ter remember General Hunter called at the
Republican Office and said in effect that. while he
Endorsed those editorials as true in their state
mentS of facts and as honest in their deductions.
he would be glad to have it explained that he did
not write them. Now, in those articles had de
clared what believed to be the truth-that the
original Hunter court martial had first voted to
have Fitz John Porter executed traitor-to
have him shot to death--but fearing the
lenient tendencies and well-known char
table characteristics Of President
Lincoln, its members finally determined
upon the findings or sentence now in course of
being revoked and nullifed. You viii notice."
continued Mr. Brooks, that General Hunter i'll
indorsiffs the truth of the assertions contained
in my editorials, included that declaration. In
other words, he incautiousy or at least without
premeditation; confirmed my assertion regarding
the first unnOdiied findings of the court mar
tial over which he had presided. | think | called
the attention of the Hon A NJ Clapp, who was
then senior editor of the Republican, and who
will bear me out in my general statements
garding General Hunter, to this inference. At
any rate, in a subsequent conversation with Gen
eral Garfield about the matter, l purposely as
sumed that such had been the original inclina-
ton of the Hunter court told him the report
of the Schofield board would doubtless amount
to vindicatiOn of Porter, and instituted com
pariSon between such result and the determin-
alton of the Hunter court, adding that West
Point influence would probably prevail in
the end to ratify that vindication. As a matter
OF course L cannot now recall the precise words
of his reply, but he said in effect that he hoped
was mistaken, and believed | was, because in
the Hunter court the West Point graduates who
were members, from General Hunter down to
General Rufus King, my old commander from
Wisconsin. had been earnest in denouncing
Porter's crime as any of the other members
Now. General Garfield was an excitable man.
but not an impulsive one, and rarely betrayed
any sign of passion, even in the heat of debate
in the House Those who knew him best will
agree with me that oanestneSS and honesty of
speech, direct to the point. was one of his pc
culiarities although he seldom, if ever,
guilty of saying anything to wound the feelings
of others But on this occasion he said bluntly
again 1 do not recall the precise words
that the great mistake was made when the
court tmeaning, of course, the Hunter
court failed to find a death sentence,
adding we should have shot him. as
some of wanted to- or words of that
purport ] construed this to mean that General
Garfield had voted, member of the court. for
the death sentence, and i'll all the discussion that
ensued between us afteward | assumed he had so
voted. He never denied it; on the contrary, he
rather encouraged that assumption, and like
General Hunter, Endorsed the general correctness
of the position the Republican had editorally
taken in the premises"
Mr.. Brooks related many incidents of his con
nection with the Porter trials and his service as
an officer on special duty at General Popes head
quarters during the second Bun Run campaign
The nights of the 9th, 18th. 10Th and Both of
August. Mr.. Brooks was on duty almost cOntinu-
ally. Speaking of the darkness, of which Porter
complained he said:
There are thousands of men now alive who
marched and were duty, as | was, more or
less of the time during the night of the 9th /
was sent by General Pope, whose headquarters
We're at Bristoe station near where Hooker had
fought Stonewall Jackson in the afternoon, to
Greenwich with orders for Generals Keatney
Reno and Mcdowell directing their movements
for that night and the next day Pope
offered me any escort might want to take with
mean entire cavalry regiment, if necessary
because it was known the rebels were between
lis and Greenwich. But took small detail of
sixteen men from the Fifth New York cavalry
and started. Ii was dark then, about o'clock
so dark that stumbled over the guy-rope of a
tent while going out TO mount my horse-but it
began to grow lighter soon we had started.
The road led through long reach of pine second
growth and scrub oak such as you always find
in the blackjack land, as they call it down in
Virginia. We moved cautiously at first, but
upon seeing before me rebel pickett was
light enough for that at II o'clock made
rush and went through the rebel videt lines on Il
dead run. l reached kearney's outposts, near
Greenwich, about midnight, and was never so
delighted in my life as when | gave the counter
sign Shiloh to one of his pickets-a man who
didn't say thar when he cried Halt!
who comes there2 Ny escort came strag-
CLING in after me, and 1 gave the orders l
had to Kearney and Reno in person. Those for
Mcdowell were intrusted to another officer who
| believe, was captured in attempting to carry
them through to him on the Warrenton pike.
Kearney instantly put his division i'll motion,
and marched, that night, mind you, from half
past i'll the morning until nearly noon the next
day, when we reported to Pope near Manassas
Junction.
''The 28th, continued Mr. Brooks, 81 carried
orders from Pope to Mcdowell, leaving the
former at Manassas Junction and finding the
latter on the Warrenton pike, near Groveton or
Gainesville. That evening we had fight, one
of the hottest on record, in which Gibbons Iron
brigade and two regiments besides, all of Kings
division. met and checked Longstreet's advance
from Thoroughfare Gap. We won the battle,
and held the lines covering our own and the
enemy's dead; but the latter part of it was
fought in the dark and it was nearly, if not
quite, o'clock before the firing ceased. Thus,
you see, Kings division fought at night, and
afterwards it marched away from the field of
victory-marched all night, mind you, back to
Manassas Junction. 1 led the way, or acted as
guide, that night for King as had for Kearney
the night before
THE 29th, Mr.. Brooks went on to say, ''Pope
ordered me to take Morrels division of Fitz
John Porters corps back to the battle ground
where King had fought the night before. Thus
l led one division over the road from Gainesville
to Manassas in the night and another the next
day over the same road, or nearly the same
left Morrell within mile or two of the Warren
ton pike, in sight Of Kings battlefield, and re
turned to report to Pope
''You will find all these statements about the
of the troops l was with borne out by