and seventy-nine, stated that, in their opinion ‘justice requires at his (the President's) hands such action as may be necessary to annul and set aside the findings and sentence of the court-martial in the case of Major-General Fitz-John Porter, and to restore him to the positions of which that sentence deprived him, such restoration to take effect from the date of dismissal from the service'; and

"Whereas, the President, on the fourth day of May, eighteen hundred and eighty-two, remitted so much of the sentence of said court-martial remaining unexecuted as 'forever disqualified the said Fitz-John Porter from holding any office of trust or profit under the Government of the United States'; Therefore, that justice may be done the said Fitz-John Porter, and to carry into effect the recommendation of said board

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the President be, and he is hereby, authorized to nominate and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint Fitz-John Porter, late a major-general of the United States volunteers and a brevet brigadier-general and colonel of the army, to the position of colonel in the army of the United States of the same grade and rank held by him at the time of his dismissal from the army by sentence of court-martial promulgated January twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, and, in his discretion, to place him on the retired list of the army as of that grade, the retired list being thereby increased in number to that extent; and all laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith are suspended for this purpose only; Provided, that said Fitz-John Porter shall receive no pay, compensation, or allowance whatsoever prior to his appointment under this act."

This act was approved by President Cleveland in July, 1886, and General Porter was by him reap pointed colonel in the army, his commission dating May 14, 1861. The work commenced by that good and upright man and brave soldier, Rutherford B. Hayes, was thus completed by that clear-minded, farsearching, and just President, Grover Cleveland. President Hayes, having before him the appeal and

statement of facts from the Hon. John Tucker, Assistant Secretary of War during the trial, on the earnest and persistent appeals of Senator Randolph of New Jersey, and against the pressure of politicians, convened the Schofield-Terry-Getty Advisory Board, by the judgment of which, sustained by acts of Congress, and despite the veto of President Arthur, General Porter stands before his countrymen completely and triumphantly exonerated of all that has been alleged against him. And this, too, independent of party, by the united action of Democratic and Republican Senators and Representatives of Congress.

Attempt has been made to magnify the fact that this rehabilitation was reached through the action of a Democratic President on an enabling act of Congress, in favor of which Democratic votes had been cast, into a justification of the course pursued by the persistent opposition. With such an argument ad hominem history can have little sympathy. General Porter was either guilty or innocent of the crimes charged against him. If guilty, the sentence inflicted was notoriously inadequate, and mitigation would fall little short of practical participation, to his mind. If innocent, his vindication, full and complete, could be no stigma upon any party aiding to that end, and opposition could confer no favor.

CHAPTER VII.

THE RAPPAHANNOCK CAMPAIGN-BATTLE OF

FREDERICKSBURG.

SOLDIERS are, universally, presented to the human mind as models of heroism. This is quite natural; for it is not alone the dangers of the battle-field which bring to light the elements of heroism in the characters of men. The soldier is heroic in having to stifle all the sentiments of human sympathy which his fellow-man-the citizen-is privileged to give expres

sion to.

He sees his best and dearest friend laid low at his feet by the enemy's bullet, and yet he must smother the desire he has to render assistance, in obedience to the mandates of duty, and leaving his comrade in his agonizing pain, pushes on over dead and dying for the accomplishment of the great end in view. His heroism is developed in a thousand ways that are little thought of by those who know nothing of a soldier's life.. He stifles the longing he has for the fond wife and the dear little ones he left at home, and when he lays his tired form down to rest under the broad canopy of Heaven enjoys, in his dreams only, the warm welcome and clinging arms of those who have long waited for his coming.

And so the officers and men of the Fifth Army Corps displayed once more their heroism in smother

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ing their feelings for their lost commanders, knowing that they had come to do a certain work, and until that work was completed all else must yield to its accomplishment-the work of preserving "the Union, one and inseparable."

McClellan and Porter had disappeared forever from their military lives! But they knew it not, nor little did they deram of the future that awaited their heroes.

Sometimes there is magnetism in the sound of a human voice; there is magnetism in the glance of a kindly eye; there is magnetism in the touch of a gentle hand; there is magnetism in the presence of a noble form. Yet who can demonstrate the cause? Wherever it is felt, however, a harmony of spirit is produced, concert of action is enforced, and strength of purpose developed. It is a dangerous element for the leader of an army to possess. Only nobleness of character can restrain such leader from making use of that power to subserve his own selfish projects; and only sublime loyalty to the people can restrain an army from the influence of an ambitious and disloyal leader.

The Army of the Potomac displayed its loyalty to the country when it said "good-bye" to the man "above suspicion," and turned to face the work before it. Little do the people know of the influence that was brought to bear upon General McClellan at Harrison's Landing to disobey the order for the removal of his troops from the Peninsula; and but few can imagine what would have taken place in the event of his declining to give over his army to Burnside. But no thoughts of disloyalty to the government ever found a resting-place in the brain of McClellan or his army. The magnetic current between the commander

and his troops had simply been broken by ruthless hands, which required a redoubling of its already sorely tested element of heroism. A new era had begun, and the question which arose to every lip was "What shall the harvest be?"

General Burnside had assumed command of the Army of the Potomac and General Hooker the command of the Fifth Corps; but the latter retained this command for a few days only, and was succeeded by General Daniel Butterfield,' who was born in Utica, N. Y., graduated from Union College in 1849, and at the commencement of the war was engaged in civil pursuits; but having a military bent of mind he had early connected himself with the New York State militia, and was colonel of the 12th Regiment when Fort Sumter was fired upon. He promptly tendered his services and those of his command to the gov ernment, and he led the advance of the Union forces across the Long bridge into Virginia in May, 1861. General Butterfield was a thorough soldier and a rigid disciplinarian.

When General Burnside relieved General McClellan, the former knew of the latter's plans and the disadvantage at which General Lee's army was heldone wing being miles from the other and a range of mountains intervening, while his own army was in easy reach of Lee's right wing, ready for attack or a race to Richmond. Instead of taking to an active initiative, General Burnside, on the 9th of November, proposed, in a communication to General Halleck, to give up the pursuit (?) of General Lee and to move down the

1 General Porter thus speaks of him in a personal letter to a friend: "He was certainly a splendid commander and a good model for any one; quick, brave, and his men had confidence in him. . . . His conduct at second Bull Run was admirable. He held his men well together."