The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-12
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of the same ear enlisted in Company X, 1st Caval-
~. This regiment proceeded to the front without
delay, and was detached for various purp ses, as
skirinishers, scouts and orderlies at different
quarters.
Previous to the second battle Of Bull Run, his
company had been over nearly every inch Of Yir-
ginia between Fairfax Court House andthe Rapidan
and from Fredericksburg and St'asburg, and up
and down the valley 1t not strange, then, that
the let Maine cavalry were thoroughly acquainted
with nearly every point Of the battlefield. pn Aug.
20, 1852, the majority of company X was detailed
for service as orderlles, and some Of the men as
skirmishers on the loft of Mcdowell, at P1i1t
where Porter ought to have been with Mcdowell on
the afternoon of that day. Adjt. Little said;
Pope sent his first order on the goth to Porter at
O'Clock in the morning, Porter, at that time, be
ing at Bristos station. At z O'Clock the same
morning, Porter received his third order from Pope
-one order received by him at $50 a. m, having
come in between. have also heard Of one order
having been sent earlier than O'Clock, but Of that
have no positive knowledge. The order delivered
at a. m. was a verbal one. and substantially the
same contained in the written int order re-
ceived at 1880 a. M. las receDted for by
Mcdowell and Porter The order delivered at q.
R.,-the verbal ene,-was car led by Josiah Gei ch-
ell who delivered it in pc Porter. This or
der was the vital one, and had Porter sent out 2
have known that there was considerable force
before him, and could have taken position during
the day which would have enabled him to hank
Hood, who did not join Jackson's right wing. near
the Haymarket road until 430 O'Clock on the Same
afternoon. If he had moved, as ordered, AT an,
and taken the choice position the field, and
which Long-treet "a hours later, managed TO occu-
py without the least interference, AID by which he
was enab ed to entlade the LETT flank OF the Feder-
al lines on the Both. know that Porter couli have
proceeded with Mcdowell on the Ioiat order; by
north, which would have brought him at p m,
into line at the front, on the left Of Mcpowe and
In such a position as would have enabled him 70
flank Hood, who, hours 80 minutes later (4.30 p
M was directly 10 McOowell's 'front.' Even after
the A 80 p. m. order of the 29th received by
Porter to take up position to the left Of Mellow
ell, the former could have advanced in direct line
over Dawkin's branch, with slight opposition, as the
only enemy in his front a small detachment Of
Rosser's cavalry, which were simply thrown into
the woods as skirmishers and as scouts. If be had
advanced even then, he could have the choice OF
ground on Hoods right flank.
Pope was mistaken as to the enemys force in
front of MCDOWELL and supposed Hoods force to be
the corps of LoDgstreet who, at the time (4.3op.
n.y. was several hours march in the rear Of Hood.
Pope's blunder in being led by jackson to take
position the right too the run, but did so
communication in the rear by the Groveton and
Warrenton turnpikes with Centreyille. In doing
SO, however. he supposed his left would be protect
ed by Porter. Gen. Porter speaks of Longstreet
being on his flank on the 2Sth, when it Is we'll
known That he was not there on that day. Long
except (as before stated Hoods division, which
could not have been ON McDowelps front and ON
Another thing that seems strange to me is that
LODgstreet, in testifyng to his stion on the Both
does not mention Rossers cavalry, which must have
been on the road he came in on after midnight Of
the 29th, and that he does not recognize that had
Porter taken the proper position on the left Of No
Dowell on the 29th, he (LongstreeD would not have
gained the flank OF Mcdowell he did ON the 30th.
If Porter had obeyed either the orders OF the
morning or afternoon of the 29th. he would have
covered the ground taken by Lengstreet, and could
have thrsshed or crushed Hood, and thereby
would have been able to hold the ground against all
comers, as well prevent Longstreet's advance.
AS it was, up to the night of the 29th, Mcdowell
and Rickett held their own. l knew the pjsition
of Porter personally, aud knew that there was
nothing to speak of TO impede his advance on the
29th. He was wilfully blind and curing the bat
tie all the scouts and skirmi-hers and orderlies
who were aware OF what was transpiring were sat
fed, ard expressed the opinion, that Porter had
made up his mind not to aid Pope, even If by such
action portin OF the army~ehou be saedhced.
l was with others of my company S9-duty at Nc
Dowell's headquarters on me 90 h as an orderly,
and had q good opportuni TO understand En6
feeling that prevailed among the men aad ON sers
as to why Porter would not come TO the assistance
of the army opposing jackson aud Hood. Porter
even at daylight of the morning of the 2yth did not
try TO develop the for 70 OF The enemy be imigined
in his front but supposed there was force be-
fore him, because be heard some distant artillery
firing.
The whole vital part of the ca.e has been lodged
by Porter m his defence by the simple subterfuge Of
misplacing dates and beiogging the minds of those
who ought to be competent Judges to the facts
bearing on the arrival of Hoods first division of
| Longstreets command a whole day after Porter
was assigned his position. Porter's friends persist
in calling atteni N to the 3ph inst cad of the 29th
of August. The ist Maine Cavalry during the 2sth
skirmished the ground bet geen Porter and Nc
Dowel, and found but very light force OF Rossers
Cavalry in the locality. AT about p. m. Of the
29th start on scouting trip, and passed close
to the front of Hoods division, taking lots
and crossed the Groveton turnpike God the old
| Warrenton road. This was in direct line toward
Porter's position, and found none OF the enemy
save a few of Rossers cavalry. Some of those men
gave me chase, and tired at me, and responded
with several shots. Later, crossed the Manassas
Gap railroad, taking negro path which brought me
to Dawkin's branch, across which swan my horse.
On reaching this point could see before me Por-
ter's corps in camp, and the embers of their camp
fires shining brightly. then passed through the
woods skrti' closely Porter's 'front.' and was fred
at as well as challenged, by several of his pickets,
| hem Church, on Porter's right, and near where
Mcdowell had been on the morning of the 29th,
| when he and Porter received their joint order to
| move forward. Proceedins East by North, re-
crossed the Manassas railroad, and passed thence
through the open country to the old Warrenton
GroVe,on turnpike where fell in with the provost
guard at about daylight recognized the officer In
i command, Nho asked me where had been, and
/ told him that l had been scouting the country
/ be.ween MeDowell's and Porter's corps, and had
/ passed along the whole front OF Porter. On meet
ing the provost guard knew l was In tho rear or
| Pope and knew my exact position by the fact thst
| the henry house was not far oil, as had seen IL
| shortly before From the GrOyeton road pro
| ceeded to headquarters which reached about $50
i a. m on the morning of the seth.
| BY this trip, L know that Longstreet had not
reached the position occupied by him on the 30th,
/ at least not up to midnight of the 29th, al
/ though Porter thought that he UongstreeD was
| there during the Afternoon of the 29th. When I
i got back to headquarters, found that our lines
had been straightened out and shat the left flank
farther back than when left IL at O'Clock en-
/ the evening of the S9th. Our line bad also been
moving somewhat to the left. In this night scout.
| | made complete circuit, and the only enemy
| found between Porter and Mcdowell were a few
| cavalry scouts or pickets.
At headquarters l met Josiah Getchell and ask
ed him if he had been bearing dispatches during the
goth. do not recall the exact conversation that
passed Letween at that time, but later on, during
the day of the 30th, I again conversed with him,
and GetcheIl told me about having carried one or
| more dispatches from Pope to Porter and mellow
ell early in the morning of the 18th Getchen inn
pressed by alludng to the queer reception which
he received from Porter on his arrival with OF
the orders, which he said a verbal one, and
which in accordance with the strict Instructions
given orderlies carving such verbal dispatches,
| must have been acknowledged by Porter on dis
patch envelope, which dispatch orderlies are ex-
pected always to have in their possession. Getchsl
| spoke of the sulky and sullen manner with which
| Porter received the dispatch. The general feeling
| among the orderlies, and which was shared in by
| both Getchen and my elf was that Porter did not
and would not pay any regard to General Popss
| orders.
Getchen was a fine soldier, and a sharper
| shreWder ana more rehaplo man was nOt W 10
found in the army. He had high reputation as a
scout and dispatch orderly, and had the confidence
of both Gems. Pope ami Mcdowell. He was So
ected to take the verbal order because he was con-
sidered the best man, and because there was no
staff officer available at the moment TO write 1t, and
, because Pope knew that Getchen would be sure 70
, deliver it with dispatch, as he knew thoroughly
every foot of ground between himself and Porter
quarters Getcbel de iyered the dispatch soon af
| ter II was given to him, and returned at to
headquarters, and said at the time that he found
Porters quarters with his right division. On sever
al occasions since the war discussed the delivery
of this trder to Porter with Getchel the last tine
being two years ago at the reunion of the LIST Maine
Cavalry at Lewiston, Me-, when all the facts sp-
peared fresh in Ge6ehelPs mind. The ocderlies at
headquarters, hearing that Porter had the sulks
when he received the first order on the 29th, were
satisfied that Porter would not go into the battle,
and Pope, himself. had his mind made up that he
could not rely on him.
, During the goth and 3Oth, the detaohments Of
the 1st Maine cavalry who were engaged in skir
mishng felt that their organization was to be sac
rifced to the enemy, in case it necessary re
treat and they realized from the events of the
3Oth that without hardly any doubt such was thu
| plau when the army retTeated the 30th. The
: cavalry on that day were thrown a slGirmisf
. | line so as TO cover the movement of the fedora
III.