Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 February 1884 — FITZ JOHN PORTER. [ARTICLE]

FITZ JOHN PORTER.

Th* Real Point in the Ca*e -The Situation as Pope Understood It, and the Situation as It Actually Existed. The one poiht upon whieh the case turns is, whether Fitz John Porter should have attacked Jackson’s flank and rear when he got Pope’s order. As Pope understood it, the situation was as follows: Jackson, 22,000 men. s \ \ Pope, 30,000 men. The real situation was as expressed in the following diagram; Jz/ Potter, 10,000 Pope, 33,000 men. men. Pope expected Porter to get the order to advance at 5 o’clock. He did not get it until after 6. It is foolish to say that no matter what the situation was, Porter should have moved at once when he got the order. The order was to attack Jackson’a flank, not to attack with Longstreet on his flank. Republicans should not do themselves the injustice of affecting to discredit the Confederate testimony as to the hours at which movements were made, and the position of troops at certain times. There is no more doubt of the position of Longstreet on the evening of Aug. 29 than there is of that of Pope himself. —Cincinnati Com-mercial-Gazette, Rep. #