General Porter, born at Portsmouth, N. H., June 13th, 1822, was graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1845, and assigned to the Fourth Artillery, in which he became second lieutenant, June 18th, 1846. He served in the Mexican War, was commissioned first lieutenant on May 29th, and received the brevet of captain, September 8th, 1847, for services at Molino del Rey, and that of major for Chapultepec. On May 14th, 1861, he became colonel of the Fifteenth Infantry, and on May 17th, 1861, he was made brigadier general of volunteers, and assigned to duty in Washington. In 1862 he participated in the Virginia Peninsula campaign, at Yorktown, Gaines's Mill and Malvern Hill, and received the brevet of brigadier general in the regular army for gallant conduct at the battle of Chickahominy, Va., June 27th, 1862. On November 27th, 1862, General Porter was arraigned before a court-martial in Washington, charged with disobeying orders at the second battle of Bull Run, and on January 21st, 1863, he was cashiered. A bill for his relief was signed by President Cleveland, and he was restored to the United States Army as colonel, August 7th, 1886. -Leslie, 1896