o be presented in form at the next meeting of
the board. I believe I devoted more earnest work to the examination
and analysis than I had ever done to any one thing before in my
life. I tried in succession every possible explanation of the
established facts, in the effort to find some one consistent with
the theory that Porter had been guilty of disobedience, as charged,
or of any other military offense. But I could not find one, except
the very patent one that he had sent despatches to Burnside which
were by no means respectful to Pope; and the board expressed an
opinion in condemnation of that, which Porter's counsel very frankly
admitted to be just.

In the course of that long and earnest effort to find Porter guilty,
--for that is what the effort was in effect,--the whole story of
his conduct and of the operations of the two opposing armies and
the actions of other prominent officers became so clear, and his
honorable and soldierly conduct so absolutely demonstrated, that
it was exceedingly difficult, in view of all the wrong he had
suffered, to write a cold judicial statement of the facts. The
first draft was toned down in many particulars in the effort to
bring it within the strictest rules of judicial decisions. I have
sometimes thought since that if the report of the board could have
been much colder, it might have been better at first for Porter,
though less just. But I do not think he or any of his companions
and friends will ever feel like finding fault because the board
could not entirely suppress the feelings produced by their discovery
of the magnitude of the wrong that had been done to a gallant fellow-
soldier.

GENERAL GRANT'S OPINION

The first time I met General Grant after the decision of the board
was published was very soon after he had published in 1882 the
result of his own investigation of the case. He at once introduced
the subject, and talked about it for a long time in the most earnest
manner that I ever heard him speak on any subject. He would not
permit me to utter a single sentence until he had gone all over
the case and showed me that he understood all its essential features
as thoroughly as I did, and that his judgment was precisely the
same as that which the board had reached. He intimated very
decidedly that no impartial and intelligent military man could, in
his opinion, possibly reach any other conclusion. The general