THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.

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with Jackson’s left. Late in the afternoon the artillery on this commanding ridge was, to animportant degree, auxiliary to the attack upon the enemy, and Jenkins’s brigade repulsed theenemy in handsome style at one volley, as they advanced across a corn-field. Thus the dayended, our lines having considerably advanced.”

Wliat would have been the effect of the application on the enemy’s right at,or any time after, 4 o’clock that afternoon of ten or twelve thousand effectivemen who had not been in battle at all, I do not myself consider doubtful.

In this battle the Fifth Corps, under General F. J. Porter , took no partwhatever, but remained all day in column, without even deploying into lineof battle or making any effort in force to find out what was in their front. ☆That General Porter knew of the progress of the battle on his right, and thathe believed the Union army was being defeated, is shown by his own dis-patches to McDowell, several times repeated during the day. That subjoinedwill be sufficient:

“ Generals McDowell and King : — I found it impossible to communicate by crossing tliewoods to Grovetou. The enemy are in great force on this road, and as they appear to havedriven our forces back, the fire of the enemy having advanced and ours retired, I have deter-mined to withdraw to Manassas . I have attempted to communicate with McDowell and Sigel,but my messengers have run into the enemy. They have gathered artillery and cavalry andinfantry, and the advancing masses of dust show the enemy coming in force. I am now goingto the head of the column to see what is passing and how affairs are going, and I will communi-cate with you. Had you not better send your train back “?

“F. J. Porter, Major-General .”

Not the artillery only, but the volleys of musketry in this battle were alsoplainly heard on their right and front by the advance of Porter ’s troops muchof the day. In consequence of his belief that the army on his right was beingdefeated, as stated in more than one of these dispatches, he informed GeneralMcDowell that he intended to retire to Manassas , and advised McDowell tosend back his trains in the same direction.

For this action, or non-action, he has been on the one hand likened to Bene-dict Arnold, and on the other favorably compared with George Washington .I presume he would not accept the first position, and probably would hardlylay claim to the second. Certainly I have not the inclination, even had I thepower, to assign him to either or to any position between the two; and if hewere alone concerned in the question, I should make no comment at all onthe subject at this day. Many others than himself and the result of a battle,however, are involved in it, and they do not permit silence when the secondbattle of Bull Run is discussed. Without going into the merits of the case,which has been obscured and confused by so many and such varied contro-versies, I shall confine myself to a bare statement of the facts as they areknown to me personally, or communicated officially by officers of rank andstanding, and by the official reports of both armies engaged in the battle.General Porter was tried by court-martial a few months after the battle andwas cashiered. The reasons given by him at the time for his failure to gointo action, or take any part in the battle, were: first, that he considered him-self under General McDowell’s orders, who told him that they were too far to

■fc For another account of Porter ’s action see “The Fitz John Porter Case,” to follow.— Editors.