John Porter Begs Washington to Reconsider
John Porter was a Continental Army Officer who was kicked out for overstaying his leave and going to Europe.
Years later, Porter would write to General Washington and ask for his assistance in collecting a pension for his seven years of service.
John Porter
John Porter was a merchant in Massachusetts who left home to join the Continental Army when the Revolutionary War broke out at Lexington and Concord.
Porter was hired as the Paymaster for Jonathan Ward’s Regiment, a position he held for a year before receiving a promotion to Captain.
By the Summer of 1777, Porter was chosen as a Major for the 6th Massachusetts Regiment.
Europe
In early 1782, after seven years of war, John Porter was briefly allowed leave and he sailed for with the Marquis de Lafayette for Europe.
When he arrived in Amsterdam, he met with John Adams.
Porter delivered several letters to Adams as well as the news of the American Victory at Yorktown (though, characteristically, Adams was skeptical this meant the end of the war).
Court Martial
When he returned to the Continental Army the next fall, Porter was given a court martial.
It seems that he was only granted a brief leave and his trip to Europe was unexpected by his superiors.
John was removed from the Army and stripped of his title.
Pension Petition
Several years later, Porter was hoping to receive a pension as many of his contemporaries were.
He petitioned Congress for such and had the support of several other officers. He argued that he had served a full seven years, from the Siege of Boston through the Battle of Yorktown.
Porter reached out to George Washington for assistance with his petition.
No Help From the General
Washington responded coldly, indicating that if he were to go through his papers to review Porter’s situation he would have to do the same for hundreds of other men. This was not something he was prepared to do in his retirement.
Furthermore, based on his recollection, Washington did not seem to think that disobeying a scheduled amount of time for leave was something that should be forgiven.
It seems that without Washington’s approval, Porter did not receive his pension, as there are no records of it being issued.
Want to read about more Founders who received a court martial?
Check out these articles:
Adam Steven Gets Blamed for Germantown
John Sullivan - Accidental Diplomat
William Maxwell Commands While Disguised With Liquor
Weak and Flighty - The Sentencing of John Wisner
Perhaps the most interesting (yet forgotten) court martial was that of famous rider Paul Revere.
‘The Court Martial of Paul Revere’ tells the story of his military disaster at Penobscot Bay.
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