The National tribune., 1900-09-06
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have TO Say
About Their Campaigns.
DEFENDING PORTER AND THE FIFTH.
A Member of the First Division Takes Issue
with Regular. -

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The
"Recollections of Regular" were inter
esting, doubtless, because they were graph
ic and sketchy, but l differ with the com
radc on important points.
Taking the charges against Porter and
the Fifth Corps, in the article of Aug.
2, as a whole, they have been fought out
and over again and again officially and
otherwise, and Porter repeatedly not only
held blameless, but entitled TO and given
great credit, and the Fifth Corps's record |
at Second Ball Run established as second |
to that of any other corps.
This is so well established by the Off
cial records and supplemented by Congress
sional legislation and executive action that
no especial proof is necessary, but some
especial charges and statements in the
''RecoIcctions'' are such that they ought
to be refuted where and when made. For
instance: Porter. during the period from
Aug. IA, go. when he left Harrison's
Landing to Sept. =, when Pope was re-
licved of command of the Army of Nir
ginia, was under command of Mcclellan
until Aug. 81, of Burnside until Aug. 26, |
and of Pope until Sept. >, succeSsively, |
besides, of Halleck and President Lincoln |
ter took shot at actively controlling |
corps Generals, which they usually man
aged to do several times daily, and if he |
was ''dcrclict' in his movements such de- |
reelection may be charged To either of the
above according to date. But so far from
being 'dcrelict," the facts are that he
covered no end of ground, as Regular
truly says; was kept busy not only for
five days" but during the whole period
noted above, and the only ID miles distant
from Pope might easily be reckoned 40
when the contradictory orders and the
marchings and countcr-marchings he was
under orders to make and did make are
considered.
The Fifth Corps did not report direct
to Pope on Aug. 20. in conjunction with
Mcdowell. Porter had reported to Pope
on Aug. 20, and thereby came under his
command, and Mcdowell commanded the
Third Corps of the Army of Virginia, not
Il division, and ranked Porter and neces
sarily assumed command temporarily.
when, under Popc's Joint order" of Aug.
20, the two corps joined on that date.
The Fifth Corps porter never reached
Thoroughfarc Gap at p. m. Aug. %, or
at any hour, haltinS about IL 80 Il. III. ut
Dawkin's Ranch, firstly under orders from
Mcdowell, and, secondly, because Long
streets corps came down from the Gap
during the forenoon and planted itself
| across Portcr's pathI The two corps kept
each other busy during the day, and, if
Longstreets men were held there by Por
ter's men with stacked arms while lolling
about the orchards picking fruit it was
certainly cheaper than sacrificing a lot of
them, as Pope did, of the First and Third
Corps of the Army of Virginia, the Third
of Army of Potomac, and the Ninth, upon
the Sudley Springs and tcnterville roads.
Porter with the Fifth Corps alone. did
practically what Pope used four corps in
Il hot IntI 4 TO,
corps, and so successfully that LOngstreet,
fearing attack, sent for WillcoX's Division
and held it to resist Porter. .i
The three orders" noted nave been re-
peatcdly shown historically, officially and
in every conceivable way to have been
written and sent and received under con
ditiOns and at times that showed them
contradictory on their face, to have been
issued under incorrect information and de-
liyered at hours and under circumstances
precluding their being obeyed.
The Fifth Corps numbered $500, in
stead of 1000, as quoted.
Porter, with his command, did not re-
main at Dawkin's Ranch until o'clock
a. M, on the 30th but pulled out at day
light, reported at Pope's headquarters on
the battlefield soon after sunrise, where
he was held until II m., and then sent
i'll pursuit lJ Of Lee under McDOwelfs S |
command, a pursuit that terminated en-
iphtt ny OIt Amy " w at
Centerville the next morning.
Porter's corps was as fresh" of course, !
as could be expected OF any troops five |
months in the field, but no more or less
than any other of the five corps that
came and remained under the yagarics of
Popc's command.
History, five official records and all the |
other available evidence are not at all |
doubtful about the aid given Pope by the
Fifth Corps, and if any climax of such |
evidence is desired, its casualty returns |
of Aug. 80 of 2,151 men ought TO satisfy |
the most skeptical, az also that Sykes's |
Division not only did considerable work |
during the two hours it was in action"
but that it went into action about 101
o'clock and retired across Stone Bridge |
during the evening, having been under fire |
all day, and that Morrell's Division was
also strongly in evidence during the same
period.
Regulars" sapient conclusions that
Pope would have defeated Lee had he
been properly supported by leading Gen
erals of the Army of the Potomac is quite |
reasonable when his evidence and recital
of facts is considered, but as he evidently
went to sleep historically as to the above
facts right after the Porter court-martlal
in January, 1863, his conclusions ought |
to be revised.-A. ID. CUTLER, First Bri-
gade, First Division, Fifth Corps, San
Francisco, Cal.