The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-08-12


heaven were all opened and pouring
down, and when it was so dark that
the men had to almost feel their way
sometimes to find the road; and yet |
they were able to fight a. battle the
next day at - o'clock.
Almost the only division confront
ing Jackson's whole army was in a
fight that evening and expected to be
attacked next morning at daylight,
and he was asked to move 9 miles to
be there at daylight to support his
comrade who was facing that whole
army, and he could not do it on ac-
count of the darkness of the night,
and said: "Gentlemen, there is some
thing for you to sleep on" That is
the great soldier, that is the great pat
riot, that is the man who has been
prosecuted. that is the man who has
been followed and pursued year after
year, but now is going to get his
rights, says the Senator. He had his
rights years ago, a portion of them.
Let me state little piece of secret
history right here that | have not
ventured to state before, but | will
state it now. We all know of Presi-
dent Lincoln's kindly heart. When
parties were excited all over the coun-
try, when it was questionable even IN
the North, as all here know, whether
OF not we should not have almost IN
surrection among our own people, and
when everything had to be done to
prevent trouble in the rear of our own
army, that poor man who has gone to
his long home whispered kindly, For
Gods sake do not require me to shoot
Democrat at this time" Not only
that, but in Mr.. Robert T. Lincoln's
testimony before the board he swears
that his father told him that the evi-
dence was sufficient to warrant the
sentence of death. And yet we are
told that this man mas been persecut-
ed. There is the sworn testimony,
just as | have repeated it. :
Off to the left of Pope, but not fac
ing Longstreet as stated, 3! or 4 miles
away, was Fitz-J ohm Porter at Daw-
kin's Branch with the head of his col
umn. His troops staid there the
whole day while the battle was being
fought, which was of furious char
acter, and the adjutant-general's re-
ports show that the losses on the 29th
were more than the losses on the 3Oth.
General Jackson states that his whole
command was engaged, some thirty
thousand men, and on the Union side
the reports show that the whole COM
mand was engaged, every regiment,
and that the regiment that the Sena-
tor commanded on that day was so
furiously engaged, as he himself says
in his own report, which | have here,
that he got out Of ammunition and
had to change his battalions, shift
their positions one in place Of the
er, on that account. Is not that so?
Here is his own report showing that
fact, and yet the argument has been
made all the time that there was no
battle on the 29th, that it was mere
skirmish, and therefore Fitz-John
Porter was not required to take part
in it; and yet the reports show that
the battle lasted from 8 o'clock in the
morning until II o'clock at night,
and the losses on our side were heavy,
seven thousand being killed, wounded
and missing. That is the report of
the medical department. That being
the case, why is il that this man did
not go there to the support Of his own
friends? He said because he was con-
fronted by twenty-five thousand men
and therefore he could not go. Now,
let me give the facts as they are
sworn to. Fitz-John Porter was not
at Dawkin's Branch after he first went
up there with his corps. He went
back himself to Bethel Chapel, 3 miles
to the rear, and there he staid under
tree the whole day, and his entire
corps was lining that road with arms
stacked from II o'clock in the morn
ing until after o'clock that night.
These are the facts, sworn to by his
own officers and men. During the
day General Sturgis came up with his
brigade, rode over on the old Manas-
sas Gap Railroad and discovered the
enemy up that road and told Porter
that batteries were being put in line
to assault Pope,' but no attention was
paid to it; and what did Sturgis get
for his suggestion? He got ordered
back. So it was with others. Other
uuSu Hldue ouSSoobloHS.
The artillery and musketry fire con-
tinued all day, and the soldiers heard
it and were painting for battle with
the enemy for the protection of their
own friends; and this man lay there
under an oak tree He says that
twenty-five thousand men were in his
front and he 3 miles from his own
front How did he know? How did |
he know? How did he ascertain? ? |
Who told him? It is to be found no.
where in the testimony. In his first
statement before the court martial he
claimed that there were fifteen thou.
sand troops in his front, and now he
changes it to. twenty-five thousand
How did he know that? He not only
claimed that these men were in his
front, but at the same time that he
knew they were in his front, he says
the woods were so thick he could not
march his men through them to Gen
eral Pope. If that was the case, how
could he tell there was anybody in his
front? Yet that is what he states.
Was he in communication with the
enemy? If not, how did he ascertain
what he claims? No one else discov-
cred it then or since, except in imagi-
nation
Now let US go a little further The
Senator says, or at least intimates,
that the old maxim that you must
march to the sound Of the enemy's
guns" is not correct principle. "A
rue soldier will march to the sound
IF the enemy's guns" The Senator
ioes not believe that, because if he
lid he would condemn Porter, for
Porter did not do it. Porter heard
he guns all day. He did not form
| line Of battle except of one regi-
nent ACROSS the branch and then