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CH. XX.]

BATTLE AT CEDAR MOUNTAIN.

209

Virginia for the same purpose, leaving, pushed forward five miles south of Culpepper, with Ricketts's division of McDowell's Corps three miles 1862. in his rear. The corps of Sigel, which had marched all night, was halted in Culpepper to rest for a few hours. On Saturday, Aug. 9th, the enemy advanced rapidly to Cedar Mountain, the sides of which they occupied in heavy force. Banks was instructed to take up his position on the ground occupied the previous day, and also to defend it against the enemy's assaults.

for the time being, the line of the Kanawha open to invasion by the enemy. McClellan also was urged and pressed by Halleck to hasten forward reinforcements from the Army of the Potomac, and to afford every assistance in his power to the general in command of the Army of Virginia.* With his army thus strengthened, and numbering between 50,000 and 60,000, Pope took the field in person, at the close of July. The forces of Banks and McDowell were pushed forward beyond the Rappahannock, and on the 7th of August, numbering about 28,000, were assembled along the turnpike from Sperryville to Culpepper. Gen. Buford's cavalry, five regiments, covering the front, was advanced to Madison Court House, with his pickets along the Rapidan on the right; and Gen. Bayard's cavalry, four regiments, was extended on the same river on the left. Jackson, who was at Gordonsville, having been reinforced by Lee on the 2d of August, crossed the Rapidan on Thursday the 7th, at Barnett's Ford, and advanced towards Culpepper and Madison Court House. Bayard, who was guarding the fords, fell back slow ly, delaying the enemy's advance as much as possible. The forces of Banks and Sigel, and one of the divisions of McDowell's corps, were rapidly concentrated at Culpepper during Friday and Friday night, Banks's corps being

* On the 4th of August, by direction of the presi

dent, it was ordered, that a draft of 300,000 militia be

immediately called into the service of the United States, to serve for nine months, unless sooner discharged. The call was responded to with the usual readiness and zeal of the loyal states. VOL. IV.-27

About five o'clock, P.M., the rebels pushed forward a strong force in the rear of their own skirmishers, and Banks advanced to the attack. By six o'clock, the engagement became general, and for an hour and a-half was furious and unceasing; but Banks, though at great sacrifice, was able to hold his position. Darkness put an end to the contest, although the artillery fire was continued at short range, without intermission, until midnight. Our troops rested on their arms during the night in line of battle; but the action was not resumed. For, at daylight the next morning, the rebels fell back two miles, and retired further up the mountain. Owing to fatigue and excessive heat, the men were allowed to rest and recruit on Sunday, Aug. 10th, and the next day was spent principally in burying the dead. On Monday night, Jackson retreated from the field, not being strong enough to remain where he was; whereupon Buford was sent with a cavalry and artillery force in pursuit; he followed the enemy to the Rapidan, over which they passed about ten o'clock the next morn

ing. Our loss in killed, wounded and force with which Pope proposed this missing was about 1,800, besides a 1,000 or more stragglers; the rebel loss was not reported, but was probably fully equal to that on the Union side.

operation had been increased by the addition of Reno's command, he did not attempt to carry it out, finding Lee less impressed than he should have been with the apparition of Pope 'ly. ing off on his flanks.'”*

A few days after Jackson's retreat to Gordonsville, he was joined by the van of Lee's army, under Longstreet, with Lee, having advanced his forces to Stuart's cavalry. Pope, having receiv- the Rappahannock, attempted to cross cd considerable reinforcements, held the the river, but Pope covered the fords line of the Rapidan, with Sigel on the effectually, and prevented this moveright, McDowell in the centre, at Cedar ment. An artillery fire was kept up Mountain, and Reno on on the left. for two days, the 21st and 22d, across Banks's shattered corps was at Cul- the river, but to no material purpose. pepper. It being presently ascertained Lee then left Longstreet opposite the that the enemy were advancing in fords, in order to make a turning movegreatly superior numbers, Pope retired ment by Jackson on Pope's right by with his forces, on the 19th of August, way of Warrenton.† Pope thereupon to the north bank of the Rappahan- determined to recross the Rappahannock, in the vicinity of Kelly's Ford nock, and "fall furiously, with his and Rappahannock station, on the rail- whole army," upon the flank and rear road. "This," says Mr. Swinton, "was of the enemy's long column which was a judicious measure on the part of Gen. passing up the river. A severe storm, Pope; but it was not carrying out his however, on the night of the 22d, preown principles. In expounding before vented this projected attack; and the the war committee, a month before this head of Jackson's column, which had time, what he proposed doing, he held crossed at Sulphur or Warrenton the following language: 'By lying off Springs, on the 22d of August, was on their flanks, if they should have only compelled to recross the Rappahannock, forty or fifty thousand men, I could which was done the following night, whip them. If they should have the bridges being at the same time. seventy thousand or eighty thousand destroyed. men, I would attack their flanks, and force them, in order to get rid of me, to follow me out into the mountains; which would be what you want, I should suppose. They would not march on Washington with me lying with such a force as that on their flanks.' Now, though the force which Lee had at this time did not exceed the smallest of these hypothetical numbers, and the

* " Army of the Potomac," p. 176.

On the night of the 22d of August, Stuart, with a

body of 1,500 horsemen, managed to cross the river

above, and to reach Catlett's Station on the railroad, despite the storm which was raging, and the intense darkness. Here he surprised the guard, who appear to have been shamefully negligent of their duty, cut gether with Pope's official papers and effects. Having effected his object, and proved the truth of Pope's

the railroad communication, captured 300 prisoners, to

words, that "disaster and shame lurk in the rear,"

Stuart and his band, soon after daylight on the 23d, re turned to Warrenton.

CH. XX.]

STONEWALL JACKSON NEARLY CAUGIIT.

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ed by Jackson's movement, determined, on the 26th of August, to retire from Warrenton, abandon the line of the Rappahannock, and throw his whole. force in the direction of Gainesville and Manassas Junction, in order to crush the enemy who had passed Thoroughfare Gap, and place his army between Lee and Jackson. Pope had received addi tional troops from the Army of the Poto mac, and was in a condition to strike a decisive blow. On the morning of the 27th, he ordered McDowell to move rapidly forward on Gainesville by the Warrenton turnpike, with the troops under Sigel and Reynolds, some 40,000 in all. Reno and Kearney were ordered to move on Greenwich to support McDowell; and Pope himself took the line of railroad towards Manassas, with Hooker's division. Porter's corps was also to follow from Warrenton, as soon as he was relieved by Banks, and to march on Gainesville.

On the afternoon of the 27th of August, a severe engagement occurred between Hooker's force and Ewell's It was division of Jackson's troops.

Jackson having been directed by Lee to get between Washington and Pope's army, and to break up his railroad communications with the capital, made a détour, on the 25th, for that purpose; he crossed the upper Rappahannock at Hinson's Ford, and after a forced march of thirty-five miles, bivouacked at Salem, on the Manassas Gap Railroad. The next day, passing through Thoroughfare Gap, he crossed Bull Run Mountain, and before night of the same day, reached Bristow Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Having broken up the track as extensively as possible, he sent Stuart with a body of cavalry and infantry to Manassas fought near Kettle Run, a few miles Junction, seven miles nearer to Wash-west of Bristow Station. Ewell was ington. Besides several hundred pri- driven back along the railroad, with a soners and eight guns, Stuart obtained loss of 300 men in killed and wounded. possession of a very large amount of During the night he moved off entirely, commissary and quartermaster's stores, to rejoin Jackson at Manassas Junction. there being at the Junction supplies valued at not less than $1,000,000. The rebels set fire to the buildings, and the next day our men found only smoking ruins in place of the abundant sup. plies gathered there for the support of

McDowell's column reached Gainesville that night, the 27th; Reno and Kearney also arrived at Greenwich the same night. Apparently, there was now no escape for Jackson; Lee was two days' march distant; his position was critical and perilous; and Pope exulted Pope, finding that his right was turn- in the prospect of being able to catch

the army.

and destroy that shrewd commander that if they had followed his directions, who had done so much injury to the Jackson would have been utterly deUnion cause. "If," Pope said to Mc- feated. Dowell, in his order of the 27th, "you will march promptly and rapidly at the earliest dawn upon Manassas Junction, we shall bag the whole crowd." Jack son, fully alive to his danger, had his choice to retire by the same way by which he came, through Thoroughfare Gap and Gainesville, or northwardly by Centreville. He preferred the latter on every account, and during the night of the 27th, and morning of the 28th of August, he moved by Sudley Springs road across the Warrenton turnpike, and took position on the high timber land north and west of Groveton, in the neighborhood of the battle ground so famous at the opening of the rebellion.

Pope's order to McDowell, just spoken of, to move eastward upon Manassas Junction, was a positive blunder; for he ought to have held the line of the Warrenton turnpike at every hazard, and not by retiring from it to allow Jackson, by a move from Manassas Junction to the north of the turnpike, the opportunity of forming a junction with Lee's advance. Consequently, when Pope felt sure of catching Jack son, he found that the rebel chief had given him the slip; and Longstreet, on the evening of the 28th of August, reached Thoroughfare Gap, and the next day effected a junction with Jackson. Pope, in his report, lays the blame upon his officers, and accuses a number of them not only of negligence and want of activity and spirit, but of disobedience of orders, and he is confident

On finding that Jackson had retreated from Manassas Junction, Pope, on the 28th of August, tried to correct his mis take, by calling back McDowell and directing him to march on Centreville. But, unhappily, much time had been lost, and it was not till late in the afternoon that King, of McDowell's division, regained the Warrenton turnpike, and advanced toward Centreville. Jackson attacked King on the flank with great impetuosity. The contest was sharp, severe and bloody, attended with heavy loss on both sides. During the night King withdrew his troops, by which course he left the Warrenton turnpike open for Jackson to retire, or Longstreet to advance. Ricketts's division also, which had been detached to watch Thoroughfare Gap, withdrew to Manassas.

1862.

Sigel, who was in the neighborhood of Groveton, was ordered to attack Jack. son at daylight on the 29th. Jackson was strongly posted, but Sigel began the attack with spirit and determination, and in the course of the forenoon he was joined by Reno's, Hooker's and Kearney's troops. These latter arrived just in time, when both wings of our army were about to be turned, and Sigel's force had suffered very severely. The fight raged furiously, and continued through the day. At eight P.M., the larger portion of the field was occupied by our army, and night put an end to the battle.

Pope is unqualified in his condemna

CH. XX.]

SECOND BULL RUN BATTLE.

tion of Porter's course. He states, in his report, that he ordered Porter to advance upon Gainesville, early on the 29th of August, and turn Jackson's right, which was of the utmost importance in the plans of Pope. But, as it turned out, before this could be done, Longstreet's corps had come up, and as early as ten o'clock in the morning he had so arranged his troops as to stop Porter's march upon Gainesville. Por ter, as he affirms, acting under McDow ell's order, remained for the rest of the day in the position he had taken, Morell's division being deployed against the foe, the other divisions being massed. At half-past four P.M., Pope states, that he sent express orders to Porter to as. sail the right flank and rear of the enemy. The order reached Porter about dusk; but it was then too late to attack, and, more than this, there was now no chance for a turning movement, since Longstreet had, as early as noon, taken position directly in Porter's front. The attack under such circumstances would have been futile, and was not attempted.

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Pope, supposing that the rebels were retreating, determined, not very wisely, to try another day's struggle with Lee's forces, under the notion, as he phrases it, that "at least he would lay on such blows as would cripple the enemy as much as possible, and delay, as long as practicable, any further advance toward the capital." Estimating his available force at this time at 40,000 men, Pope undertook, on the afternoon of the 30th of August, to fight the second battle of Bull Run or Manassas. We need not enter into details. The rebels were superior in numbers and in the general effectiveness of their force; and the day's struggles and contendings resulted in fearful slaughter and vain efforts to drive back the foe. Hour after hour the battle raged. The rebels attacked Pope's left flank with tremendous force and effect,* intending to seize the Warquestions in dispute between Pope and Porter. Our aim is to give the narrative truthfully and accurately,

and we believe that we have done so, irrespective of

(see p. 186), quotes freely from rebel documents, pubpersons or parties. Mr. Swinton, in a valuable note lished since the rebellion was put down, and establishes the fact that, by noon, Longstreet had his forces in position so as completely to bar Porter's advance, as

ordered by Pope. To obey such an order, at the time it was received, was virtually impossible. Gen. Porter, rea-paign, (in Jan. 1863), after having been in command of the defences of Washington, and sharing with his corps in the battle at Antietam, was tried by a court

however, a number of months subsequent to this cam

martial at Washington for alleged disobedience of Pope's orders while under his command. The court brought in a verdict of guilty, and Porter was dismissed from the service of the United States. See the record of this trial, and Porter's defence read to the

Pope, in his official report, made Jan. 27th, 1863, asserts, in the most positive manner, that there was no son why Porter should not have turned Jackson's right flank, and thus secured the victory. On the other hand, it is only fair to remind the reader that, the statements made above being correct, Pope labored under grave error, and has done great injustice to an officer who had always heretofore, as the recording shows, been found active, diligent and faithful in the discharge of his duties.*

* We have neither time nor space to enter into the

court.

* Owing to a movement of Lee in making this at

tack, Pope got the notion that the rebels were retreat

from the field. He accordingly sent a telegram to

Washington, announcing that Lee and his army were

"retreating to the mountains;" this at once became public property, by means of the wires, throughout the loyal states; but the brief gratification was speedily followed by mortification and disappointment.

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