Customer Reviews

Injustice on Trial: Second Bull Run: The Court Martial Trial of General Fitz John Porter and the Schofield Hearing Which Restored His Good

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In one of the most brutal acts of military injustice short of the Dreyfus affair, a prominent Union corps commander, Gen. Fitz John Porter, was cashiered by a court martial for his role in the Battle of Second Bull Run. It wasn't until 1878 that the disgraced West Pointer was able to win full vindication from a court of inquiry. A painstaking review of Porter's treatment by historian and U. S. Military academy grad Curt Anders, "Injustice on Trial," relies heavily on the transcripts of the 1862 court martial that convicted the hapless commasnder of failing to follow Gen. John Pope's orders and the subsequent Schofield board that uncovered the numerous errors that marked the original proceeding. In the course of producing this convincing absolution of Porter, Anders details the involvement of an amazing procession of prominent figures in the long running drama, including Grant, Pope, McClellan, Longstreet and Lincoln, himself. Anders has done full justice to his fascinating subject in this solid, substantial work.

A great story, very detailed about a polarizing Union Civil War General. This book was handled in such a way you were allowed to decide for yourself if he was railroaded or not. It's great to see how justice was played out. Don't buy this expecting to read alot about his early career. If you want to know the facts surrounding his Courts Marshal and the facts pertaining to it then this is an excellant read.

This is an extremely interesting account about the court martial and rehabilitation of General William Fitz Porter. Porter was one of the ablest generals of the early Civil War. He had two disadvantages-1) he was seen as loyal to George Mc Clellan and 2) he served under a commander who lost the Second Battle of Bull Run and a scapegoat was needed. He fit the bill. Brought up on charges of insubordination, Porter went through a trial which was virtually a predetermined event. Fortunately for the reader there was a shorthand reporter assisting the court martial.. The reader is able to see for himself or herself exactly what was said and the author liberally quotes from the record. What is somewhat hard to follow are the battle itself. Porter`s charges and defense require a detailed sense of a battle which is constantly changing. Although maps are helpful, there are too few of them. After the trial and banishment of Porter, there were hearings to review and re-open the case. That, too, has the advantage of a shorthand record. The author masterly present that and the subsequent vindication, coming after many years. As a law professor, I suggested the book as a basis of a student`s independent study. It is a book that raises questions of evidentiary sufficency, the independence of military justice, the role of potitics in military justice. But non-lawyer and non-military readers will enjoy the book, also.

Anders does a very nice job relaying the details of Porter's court martial and his later review. The story reads well and Anders weaves the tale of politics in an engaging and easy to read manner. It's a great addition to any Civil War collection.