Evening journal., 1913-02-10
DUPONT WINS
FIGHT FOR The
PORTER RPENSTON
Delaware Senator Defeats Sen
atOr MCCumber, Who OppOS-
ed Larger Allowance for
Gen raI'S Widow
NSIS Ed INJUSTICE HAD
BEEN DONE UNION GENERAL

ChAeNb Diot'o SENATE htNti luiltu
and successful fight to obtain an in
crease of pension for Mrs Harriet
Pierson Porter, widow Of General
Fitz John Porter. He forced the bill
through the Senate despite the vigor-
GUS opposition of Senator McCumber,
on the part of the minority of the
Committee on Pensions which had
made an adverse report. Mrs. Porter
has been receiving from the Govern
ment only So a month and the object
OF the bill as amended was to in
crease it to $50 a month.
The report of Senator DUPONT on
the case was in part as follows:
"The military history Of Gen. Fitz
John Porter shows that he was a
cadet at the United States Military
Academy from July /, 1S41, TO July 1,
1S45, when graduated and appointed
brevet second lieutenant, Fourth
Artillery. He was promoted full
second lieutenant June is, 1916; first
lieutenant May 20, 1S47; and was
breveted assistance adiutant general
June 27, 1856. He was commissioned
as colonel. Fifteenth Infantry, May
"A, 1861, and few deys later was
appointed brigadier general of Nolun-
teers He was promoted major gener-
al of Volunteers July IA, 1862, and
was cashiered and dismissed from the
Army January 21, 1863. BY act of
Congress, approved July I, 1886, be
was restored as colonel of Infantry,
to rank from May IA. 1861, and was
retired from active service August Z,
l.. s.. hs rr~ffH
Mexico from September 6, 1876. to
September. 1S47, when wounded at
the storming of Chapultepec. Cen
Porter died May q, 1901, at the ripe
old age of so years.
"a similar bill. S. j593, was in
troduced in the Sixty-first Congress-
and referred to a subcommittee. The
following report made by that sub
committee in the third session of the
Sixty-frst Congress sets out in detail
the service OF Gen. Porter and the
peculiar circumstances in his case:
Your subcommittee, to whom was
referred S. 5593, granting a pension
to Harriet Pierson Porter reports the
same fayorably with the following
amendment. viz;
Amend the title so as to read
Granting an increase OF pension tc
Harriet Pierson Porter"
"In line strike out the period and
insert a comma and the words IL
lieu. of that she is now receiving.
Major Gen Fitz-John Porter Il
whose widow the bill gives an in
crease of pension. entered the United
States Military Academy in lS4l
graduated in 1S45. and took part witt
the greatest distinction i'm all the bat
ties of our Army under Gen. Scott IN
the Mexican War. 'He was wounded
in the desperate assault upon IN
Belen Gate OF the City of Mexico, th'
other officers Of his battery bein.
killed, and % out of 30 enlisted meI
of the battery being killed or wounde,
He served with honor in the Reg
ular Army until the breaking out o.
the Civil War when he was appointed
colonel of one of the new regiments
of Infantry, aud soon afterwardl
major general of Volunteers, beins
assigned to the command Of a division
and afterwards the Fifth Corps of thu
Army Of the Potomac under Gen. Nc
Clellan Detached with his corps from
that Army and ordered TO join Gen
John Pope i'm front of Washington, hl
took part In the second Battle Of Bul
Run in August, 1862, where the Fiftl
Corns lost in about an hours tim
2,f51 men. being one-third OF its fore
present Not long after a successful
attempt was set on foot to unjustl.
make Gen Porter the scapegoat Of III
disastrous defeat of the Union force
in that battle Charges were preferrel
against him, and notwithstand his IN
dignant assertions of entire innocenc
he was tried by a general cOurt-mar
tial. which, after hearing a great dea
Of conflicting testimony, found hin
guilty and sentenced him to be cash
tered and not allowed to hold an
Office of trust or profit under tn
United States Government.
A" Conscious of his innocence, Ger
Porter used every effort for years {
have his case reopened, and, afte
many unsuccessful attempts. In ISL
President Hayes at last ordered
board OF inquiry to make a thoroug
investigation of his case. Nariou
original dispatches and other impoT
tant papers which had not been pre-
sented at the court-martial were las
before this board together with tn
testimony Of many Confederate genera
officers as to the exact location an
strength Of the southern troops OF
posed to Porter at the second Battl
of Bull Run, upon which we're base
some OF the chief allegations in SUI
port Of the original charges, all {
which conclusively showed that Oh
previous evidence against him wa
absolutely false and misleading
The members of the board of II
quiry consisting of Gems Schofiel
Terry and Getty, after a most searcl
ing investigation lasting over
months, reported that tho origin;
charges and specifications bore j
discernible resemblance TO the actui
facts in the case. That the iudgmei
of the original court-martial upC
Gen. Porters conduct was based upc
totally erroneous impressions, M
only respecting what his condu
really was, but respecting all the ci
cumstances under which he acted. an
that not one OF all the gallant soldier
who took part in the occurrenc,
under consideration was less deser'
ing of such condemnation than he.
They further reported that.
their opinion, Justice requires at h
hands such action as may be neco
sary TO annul and set aside the fin
ings and sentence of the court-ma
tial in the case of Mai. Gen. Fitz-Joh
Porter, and restore him to. the pos
lions of which that sentence deprive
him. such restoration to take effe
from the date Of his dismissal fro
the service
President Hayes submitted this r