Edward Porter Alexander, Military memoirs of a Confederate: a critical narrative

[208] himself too weak to venture an attack upon the Confederates in his front. His force was only between 9000 and 10,000. He had no reenforcements at hand and he had in his front Longstreet's corps of nearly 25,000. His course was proper, and his threatening position practically neutralized an equal number of the Confederates, for D. R. Jones's division of three brigades, and Wilcox's of three, were each deployed and held in observation of Porter all the afternoon.

Pope, having sent his order to Porter to attack at 4.30, waited a half-hour to allow time for the message to reach Porter, and at five ordered Kearny and Reno with their five brigades to attack Jackson's left. To finish with Porter first: The 4.30 order did not reach him until about 6.30. He at once ordered his leading division, Morell's, to advance, but before the necessary arrangements could be made, darkness had come on, and he was compelled to abandon the idea of attacking. For this, and some other minor incidents, Pope, soon after the battle, preferred charges against Porter. He was tried, and on Jan. 10, 1863, was convicted of violations of articles of war, and sentenced to dismissal from the army, and to be disqualified from ever again holding office under the United States.

Thus was the Federal army deprived of the services of one among its officers of the very highest type. The ex-Federal Confederates who had known Porter considered this result as one of the best fruits of their victory. The gist of the charges against Porter lay in Pope's claim that Longstreet's troops had not reached Gainesville until late in the afternoon, and that Porter could have fallen upon Jackson's exposed right flank. After the war, when official reports of the Confederates were published, the actual facts became so notorious that, in 1878, the proceedings of the court were reviewed by a board appointed by the President. They found the facts and recommended the remission of Porter's sentence, though condemning the terms in which Porter had criticised Pope, in his correspondence above referred to. This report of the board was referred to Congress, which took no action. Finally on May 4, 1882, President Arthur remitted the sentence.

From this digression let us return to the attack at 5 P. M. on