ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



49 



available for the prosecution of the field-work 

 i in i liis survey after June 80, 1879, and all par- 

 ties were withdrawn from the field on or be- 

 fore that date. There are eight engineer offi- 

 cers now employed in the Western military 

 divisions and departments in making surveys, 

 ami in collecting and mapping the geographi- 

 cal and topographical information obtained in 

 scouts and campaigns against the hostile Jn- 

 iliaiH. Maps prepared in this way are of great 

 valuo to the War Department and to the 

 army. 



The Ordnance Department still continues the 

 test of breech-loading ordnance, especially of 

 the 8-inch rifle converted from a 10-inch 

 smooth-bore gun, and thus far 202 rounds (190 

 witli full battering charges) have been success- 

 fully completed. The endurance so far has 

 proved satisfactory, and no evidences of want 

 of endurance in its special construction have 

 been so far afforded ; and there are good 

 grounds for the opinion that it will stand its 

 thorough proof, and establish the fact that after 

 this system the original smooth-bore cast-iron 

 guns can be converted into breech-loaders, or 

 original breech-loading cannon of the heaviest 

 construction can be produced. The decided ad- 

 vantages to be derived from the use of breech- 

 loading rifles, especially in casemated works, 

 have been heretofore noticed in these pages. 

 Since then the unfortunate disaster on board 

 of the Thunderer (the bursting of a 38-ton 

 muzzle-loading gun by the accidental insertion 

 of two charges, impossible to occur in breech- 

 loaders), and the unexcelled results (in power, 

 accuracy, and successful manipulation) recent- 

 ly attained at Meppen, by Herr Krupp, in the 

 trials of his breech-loading guns of 70 and 80 

 tons, have led to the conviction that it is high- 

 ly probable that the general introduction of 

 breech-loading instead of muzzle-loading can- 

 non in the armaments of Europe, for all heavy 

 ordnance especially, is a mere matter of time. 

 During the last fiscal year there were manu- 

 factured at the National Armory 20,005 Spring- 

 field rifles, and, under the law authorizing it, 

 1,000 of the experimental Hotchkiss magazine 

 rifles. The former have been produced at a 

 much less cost than heretofore, owing to the 

 increased number manufactured and the im- 

 provement of the plant employed ; and, as there 

 is now available a larger appropriation than 

 usual for the present year, it is confidently ex- 

 pected that the cost will be yet further reduced 

 in the future. There were in store on July 1, 

 1879, only 22,073 rifles and 5,406 carbines at the 

 armory and arsenals. The Hotchkiss arms are 

 now in the hands of the Regular Army for trial 

 in actual service, and upon the reports to be 

 made bimonthly will depend any recommenda- 

 tions for the supply to be hereafter manufac- 

 tured. 



The military board, consisting of Generals 



J. M. Schofield, A. H. Terry, and George W. 



Getty, before whom the President ordered a 



rehearing of the case of General Fitz John Por- 



VOL. xix. 4 A 



ter, made a report exonerating him entirely. 

 They state the evidence as presenting itself 

 under several distinct heads: 1. Imperfect and 

 in some respects erroneous statements of fact*, 

 due to the partial and incorrect knowledge in 

 the possession of the witnesses at the time of 

 the court-martial, and the extremely inaccurate 

 maps and erroneous locations of troops thereon, 

 by which erroneous statements were made to 

 convey still more erroneous impressions; 2. 

 The opinions and inferences of prominent offi- 

 cers, based upon this imperfect knowledge ; 3. 

 Far more complete and accurate statements of 

 facts now made by a large number of eye-wit- 

 nesses from both the contending forces; 4. 

 Accurate maps of the field of operations and 

 the exact positions of the troops thereon at 

 different periods of time, by which statements 

 otherwise contradictory or irreconcilable are 

 shown to be harmonious, and opposing opinions 

 are shown to be based upon different views of 

 the same military situation; and, 5. The con- 

 flicting testimony relative to the plan of opera- 

 tions, the interpretation of orders, the motives 

 of action, and relative degrees of responsibility 

 for the unfortunate results. Concerning the 

 charge of which General Porter was found 

 guilty, of not having moved his command on 

 the night of August 27, 1862, in obedience to 

 an order from General Pope, the Board report 

 that it was a manifest physical impossibility to 

 march over that road that night. They say 

 nothing could have been gained by the at- 

 tempt, and that it would have been wiser if 

 General Porter had delayed his attempt still 

 longer than he did. They think he exercised 

 the very ordinary discretion of a corps com- 

 mander, and that it was his plain duty to so 

 express it. The report recites at much length 

 and in detail the important events connected 

 with the military operations of the 29th of 

 August, 1862, and among other important facts 

 it is made clear that Porter's display of troops 

 in the early part of the afternoon of the 29th 

 gave rise to the belief on the Confederate side 

 of an attack about to be made, and that under 

 this belief Longstreet sent his reserves from 

 the extreme left to the extreme right of his 

 army and in front of Porter, thus relieving the 

 Union army under the other commanders from 

 this Confederate force. Porter's duty during 

 the afternoon of that date, the report states, 

 was too plain and simple to admit of discus- 

 sion, and the Board is unable to find anything 

 in it subject to criticism, much less deserving 

 censure and condemnation. He had made fre- 

 quent reports to his superiors, staling what he 

 had done and what he had been unable to do ; 

 what his situation was in respect to the enemy, 

 and what their strength; what his impressions 

 were from the sounds of action toward bis 

 right; how he had failed to get any communi- 

 cations from any commander in the main army, 

 or any orders from General Pope or McDowell 

 as to his designs for the night, sending an aide- 

 de-camp to General Pope for orders and receiv- 



