The National tribune., 1905-10-19
SECOND BULLRUN.

SE@OND BULL KUN.
POrter's Failure to StOp Louxntreet,s "A.
vance I'm the Morning and 4he Desper-
ate Fighting.
Editor National Tribute: Enoted with
a good deal Of satisfaction the excep-
ton you took Othe figures and state
ments made by Swinton an his .write-up
of the operations of the Army of the
Potomac. AS I served all OF my time
in that army. think seudrht to know
something about what IT. accomplished.
especially the corps. division. brigade
and regiment to which I-helOnRed.
will take as criterion Swi4ton's state
ment OF the second battle q Bull Run:
and only as to the part the Fifth Corps
took in that battle. AS could not see
what the other corps did, I will tell
only of the part that corps took in that
engagement, Of which I was an eye
witness. To preface this statement.
will say that Gen. Pope had been
brought from the West to command
the troops that had been commanded
and when he arrived and took COM
mand of the troops Lee had finished
up Mcclellan, and had banged him up
against the gunboats at Harrison's
Landing, on the James River. Some
body was pretty badly scared, and
march from Harrison's Landing to
Fortress Monroe in two days-a dis
lance of 80 miles! And for fear Lee
would take us on the fly we were ordered
to make the east side of the Chicka-
hominy River the first day-a distance
Of 40 miles! And that on hot August
day! Only about one-third of the army
made the home-base. The writer was
always in those days pretty good on
foot. l was able to keep up with
the best man in the regiment. Only
about five of my company reached the
east side Of the Chickahominy River
about o'clock a. m. OF $50 men of
our regiment only $50 stacked arms in
line with the colOrs I was Acting Color
Sergeant then. The rest Of the army
came struggling into camp up till 12
o'clock next day. and we had to take
two days to make the rest Of the jour-
ney When we finally arrived at Fort
less Monroe we went on board trans
ports and sailed for Washington. The
Fifth Corps was landed at or near Fall
mouth. From there we were ordered
to report to Gen. Pope, who was then
at Bull Run. We ought to have reached
Bull Run. from where we landed, in
about one days easy march, Instead
Gen. Porter was two days marching Is
miles. Right there and then COM
menced Porter's dilatory tactics, which
continued through the whole hattie of
second Bull Run, as then President
Lincoln and Secretary Stanton COM
menced detaching first one corps, then
another, sending them to Pope's as
sistance at Bull Run, till, finally. the
larger part of McClellan's army had
been taken from him and sent to Pope
That caused McClellan's officers to be
jealous Of Pope, because he had come
from victorious career in the West
as they thought, to supersede McClel-
lan-as he no doubt would have done
had he won the second battle of Bull
Run. Then commenced the work Of
McClelian's officers to beat Pope, which
their actions. combined with those OF
Mcdowell and others, did. Had Pope
possessed the mettle of Sheridan, Porter
and some others would have been re-
lieved OF their commands and sent to
the rear in arrest, like Warren at Five
Forks. When Porter arrived with his
Fifth Corps, late on the night Of the
second day after leaving the camp near
Falmouth, he was ordered to go some
three miles to the left of Pope's line
and intercept Longstreet, who was re-
ported coming over Bull Run Noun
tain to the assistance of Stonewall Jack
son, who was hard pressed by Hooker,
kearny. Richards and Stevens.
jackson was sending numerous cou-
riers to Lee, to hurry up reinforce
ments, as he could not hold out much
longer. as both his troops and ammuni-
tion were nearly exhausted. Two of
scouts. and those dispatches to Lee re-
vealed the perilous position Jackson
was In, and the necessity of intercept
ing Longstreet. Porter, with his corps,
arrived at the point to which he was
ordered, at which he was to hold Long
street IN check. about o'clock a. m.
The corps formed line Of battle, and
we were then ordered to lie on our arms
Until daylight. The sun was an hour
nigh when l awOke. When I got up
and took in our location I found that
we were In field, in full view Of Bull
Run Mountain: and those who had field
glasses could see wagon road leading
down the mountain. I saw that our
line was formed parallel with that road,
and, as near as I could judge, about a
quarter of mile from it. There was
another road that crossed that one at
right angles-the one we came up on.
Before we had lain down an order
must net fire shot, as the General did
not wish to bring on an engagement at
that point. Now, in the name Of all the
great gods OF war and the National
Congress, how were we going to exc
cute Gen. Pope's order to intercept
Longstreet and hold his corps IL we did
not fire? Now, as I have said, there
was another road at right angles with
the one that Longstreet's Corps was on,
and on that Porter could have placed
his corps; and as we were there some
eight or nine hours before the arrival q;
1.Ongstreet, We had ample time to take
down q rail fence that was there, and
transform 1t into good Temporary
treastworks. and the corps could have
given Longstrect the grandest recep-
ton Of his life. There was no reason in
tne world why we could not have held
INN there In check until Hooker and
kearny had completely used Jackson
up. At that time the Fifth Corps was
considered the largest and best corps in
the Army Of the Potomac, and at that
time they were in excellent trim to put
up good and successful fight.
But we stood there in line of battle.
cur line parallel with the road that
Longstreet was coming on, and at about
1880 or 10 o'clock a. m. Longstreet's
Corps appeared in sight, coming down
the mountain at a doubls-quick-and
they passed Us On the run, and Porter
never fired shot at them! Never made
move to intercept or check them!
And Porter there lost the best chance
of his life to deliver a telling blow on
the enemy. and to assist Pope in win
ming victory instead of suffering de-
feat.
To prove that we could have stoned
Longstreet. had Porter go wished. after
Longstreet had passed by there came
an Aid from Gen. Pppe,swith an order