Capt Portor is one of the 15 CSA I have in the old Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery alone with 150 Union. For ten years I have been a tour docent and civil war specialist there. With some help from SCV and SUV friends we see they all have VA tombwstones if eligible or I put metal strips on the family tombstone with their war service on them. I research them all to the extant possible. Go back east-south ever couple years to do more and walk where possibile in their footsteps on battlefields. Capt Porter was from Brownvilles MS where his father had a cotton plantation. After law school he west tot he gold fields of calif in the early 1850's. Hard work and went down river to Stockton and hung up his shingle and became D.A. for two years of the county quickly. Hot valley town and he came to Santa Rsoa about 1855 or so as it was brand new city and full of southern folks. Practiced here and as the town was mostly pro CSA ( only county in Calif that did not vote for Lincoln in 64) he received letters of introduction from city fathers (from MO) and went to MO and quickly got position as ADC to Gen. Crittenden, did well according to th the general at Battle of Mills Springs,KY, promoted Capt. Lost his job when Crittenden was arrested for being drunk again and lost his command and had to resign later. This the week before Shiloh. Porter married a girl from Raymond , MS after the war as it was the county seat and probably knew her before the war. Johnson had him on his staff before he actually arrived in MS from TN and sent him for some reason to Raymond night before the battle on 12 May, 63 and he volunteered and led a company of 50th TN the next day. Enrollment officer at Brookhaven and telegram from Gen. Pemberton had him lead two companies of MS State Cav riding the flanks and rear of Col.Greirson's Cav on their raid through MS. Tried many times for a higher command with the help of Johnson , but Davis did not like Johnson ever since West Point days and their fight over a girl. Davis lost. Dick Taylor pushed for another MS Capt. who lost his home, plantation and slaves and had no command and with political father for the Maj-Lt Col. that Porter was after. Taylor's boy won. Have notes in his file from Davis, Cooper, and other folks in Richmond about promotions for him.
His file here is over a hundred pages from me and the national archives. Became a Federal Judge in AZ Terr after the war and then returned here. Lost his home in our big earthquake of 1906 and died next Jan. From heart cond probably brought on by it.
Have total of 6 officers out of 15 CSA here.