Civil War Round Table to discuss disgraced general

Newton - In a war that bred great gallantry and heroics, there was also pettiness and intrigue. Such was the case of Major General Fitz John Porter, who commanded a Union corps during the Second Battle of Bull Run. General Porter’s rise and fall will be the subject of the January meeting of the Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table meeting to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Sussex County Community College. Robert E. Lee’s crushing defeat of the Union army at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the summer of 1862 led to blame being placed on General Porter, who had been one of the rising stars of the Army of the Potomac’s high command. Porter quickly became the scapegoat and lost his position in the army. Critics said Porter had performed badly because he was trying to get rid of General John Pope, the army’s commander. Porter spent the next 24 years of his life trying to clear his name. The program will be presented by Matthew Borowick, regular columnist for the Civil War News. Borowick has a strong interest in Porter and the Second Battle of Bull Run. He earned his MBA from Seton Hall University and is employed by Seton Hall as assistant vice president for alumni and government relations. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Theatre (Building D) at Sussex County Community College. A shuttle bus is available from the upper parking lot. The Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table meetings are free and open to the public. For information, call 973-300-2122 or visit online at ryersoncwrt.com.