The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-11
HOW LINCOLN
 APOL OGIzED
 TO GENERAL s
Dr. Porter Tells How Eman- cipator Enlisted 5000
 Rebels
GRANT FEARED THEY
 MIGHT BECOME SPIES
So the Johnny Rebs Were Sent Against the Sioux
 and Fought Bravely

Abraham Lincoln, as student. bus 5nese man. boatman on the Mississip- pi. soldier in the dndian wars. legislag- tor and president. and above all his love Of private conv versation when away from the hordes of office seekers ana politicians was the theme of ans address by a. personal acquaintance, Dr. George IA Porter, of this city, to-s day.
 In the reading-roorn of the Warner Institute under the auspices of the Warner Branch of the Young Wo-A mans Christian Union. he told an 1n- terested gathering a few of the inc1- dents which crowned the life of the great martyr
 FxcsusIveav. to a reporter for The Farmer. he later related how 5000 Confederate prisoners were placed Tn the Northern ranks against the wishes of Secretary Of War Stanton and Gen.. eraI Grant and how apology was ren- dered to these great men by the Emancipator, when he was shown hls error.
 During the height of the war it was proposed by either the commission ners of the District of Columbi or of sec tions of Pennsylvania, that in order to relieve the federal prisons in which coufederates were confined that they ba permitted parole if they Joined forces with the Frederals and fought side by side with union soldiers Sec retary of War Stanton protested and refused to sign the document order- ing their release. Lincoln was appar- ently 1nisinf formed. for he ord Stazrfor to sign the order. It meant that 5000 confederate soldiers be turned as possible spies in the Union ranks. The order was signed. and as the information came to the ears Of General Grant, from soldiers and of fcers who felt aggrieved that they should have in the ranks so many Of the "Johnny Reb's" he took up the matter personally with Lincoln Req lizing that more damage would be done by rescinding the order than per hitting it to stand Lincoln personally exoneratea Stanton from all resp onsi- bf11ty and told Grant that he alone was the cause. The 3, 000 confederates were sent to fight the Sioux in the In- dian wars. where many of them per- 1shed.
 This phase of the Lincoln war a.d- manifestation is little known, but came directly under the attention of Dr. Porter who was then stationed at the washington arsenal as a surgeon with General Ramsey, a warm friend of Lincoln
 Tn the address to the warner fac tory employees today Dr. Porter re- lated several incidents never hereto
 
 cidents of the rebellion relating to John Brown.
 It is little known that Brown at the time of his capture at Harper's FerA w wore a pistol and sword Wn1cn had been presented to General George Washington. the first president, by members of the foreign nobility with whom he was acquainted
 Dr. Porter said: T have been ask ed to talk to you about that great
 ,Fe1T, T,Fx er4r, frarTff vr,11 have all heard about Abraham Lin- cola was born poor. Early in life he developed a taste for study. He first learned from the instruction of his mother. He was 9 studen by night not as we study today or even by the 1fkht of a candle but in that poor shanty he studied by the fIiclzer1ns glow of the burning en5ers in the Ere-plaee He tried a business ven- fure and failed. He was 9 boatman upon the Mississippi, 8 soldier in the Black Hawk Indian war. first as a private and later raised to a captain He was a lawyer and even then con- Huued his studies from books he. was compelled to borrow. He was in the legislature for single term where he became famous as the opponent of one rs the gratest politicians of the day the Little Giant" Douglas, famed fo7 his small stature and big intellect.
 Politics in the early sos were al white heat and John Browns execu. ton at Harper,s Ferry had created much discussion. He was tried fol treason and convicted and the coun- try was in foments--Taot because h. had been illegally trfed-for he was RuHty-buf because he had been tried by the State of Virginia rather thar by the Federal authorities.
 Brown was a. sincere and hones man as has been stated by Col Washington, who was living in liar per's Ferry at the time. Brown hak taken 90 prisoners and held them a. hostages to prevent the holding of hi own men Among these was Col Washington, a descendant of Georg, Washington It is related by the Col soneI that at the time of his captur1 Brown had on his person pistol ant sword wl11chs had formerly been in tn, possessiou of the first president
 It Is odd to note from the relation, of pr. Porter today that at the exc eution Of Brown. some of the greates men later to take part in the rebellion were present Among these were Robt. D. Lee, later the Confederatt commander in chief. General Stone wall Jackson, Henry A Wise anf corning among the troops from Rich Boof11s who later assassinated Lin. roln-
 Lincoln was elected in May 1861 tf inc presidency and came to Washing. ton when that city was filled witt those who sympathized with tht south. Office seekers thronged thu ntrssts, and the only seclusion Idncolr
 gCo@ ktsaazad on Rnxe Two3