CHAP. LVII.] THE TURNING OF POPE'S RIGHT.

435

mander was moving by forced marches, with the whole Confederate army, to attack Pope before a junction could be formed between him and the Potomac Army, and to outnumber and destroy him. Under instructions from Pope retires from Halleck, Pope therefore abstained from crossing the Rapidan, and, retiring, took post behind the North Fork of the Rappahannock (August 19th). On the same day, Lee, with a large force, crossed the Rapidan.

the Rapidan.

Finding himself about to be overmatched, and yet or dered to maintain his communications with Fredericksburg, Pope telegraphed again and again to Washington that he must either be re-enforced or retreat; that the enemy was moving toward his right, and that it was impossible for him to extend his lines to resist it without abandoning Fredericksburg. He was instructed to hold his ground for two days longer, when he should be re-enforced he did so for four days, and had then only received about 7000 men. On the night of the 22d the Confederate General Stuart, having the previous day crossed the river at Waterloo Bridge with some cavalry, surHis head-quarters prised Pope's head-quarters at Catlett's Station during the darkness of a violent storm, Pope himself being at the time near Rappahannock Station. Stuart captured his personal baggage, with his dispatch-book, and destroyed several wagons.

captured.

right.

It was not Lee's intention to force a passage of the Lee turns Pope's river. His object was, by a flank movement, to turn Pope's right, get in his rear, and cut off his supplies from Washington, and place the Confederate army in such a position that it could either move upon that city or through Leesburg into Maryland.

While Jackson was executing this movement on the national right, Longstreet was operating on Pope's front to engage his attention. Jackson passed through Thor

Jackson passes through Thor

oughfare Gap, reaching (August 26th) Bristow's Station on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Without delay he sent a detachment under oughfare Gap. Stuart to Manassas Junction, and captured it that night, taking 8 guns, 10 locomotives, 7 trains, and immense quantities of quartermaster and commissary

stores.

Pope waiting for

Pope was thus attempting to hold at bay the entire Confederate army, anxiously expecting the the Potomac Army. promised re-enforcements from the Army of the Potomac. He had assigned those troops as they should come up to suitable positions, directing, among other things, that the first division which should reach Manassas Junction should take post in the works of that place, and that its cavalry should be pushed forward to watch Thoroughfare Gap.

On the day following the capture of Manassas Junction, an attempt was made by some troops stationed on the other side of Bull Run to recover it; but they were unsuccessful, and the Confederate cavalry, passing the Run, advanced beyond Fairfax Station. Jackson had now brought up from Bristow his own and Hill's divisions; but, finding that Pope's army was converging upon him, he abandoned Manassas, having destroyed large quantities of supplies, and fell back toward Longstreet, who was to come

Jackson destroys supplies at Ma

nassas.

Pope again falls

back.

through Thoroughfare Gap. When Pope discovered the Confederate movement on his right flank, and found that he was disappointed in the re-enforcements from the Potomac Army, he fell back, in three columns, from Warrenton and Warrenton Junction. His force, as estimated by himself, was at this moment about forty thousand, that of the Confederates at least eighty thousand. He was, however, now joined by Heintzelman's corps of ten

CHAP. LVII.]

POPE AND JACKSON.

437

Porter's division ar-
Under such circum-

thousand, but it came without artillery wagons, or horses for the field and general officers. rived broken down with fatigue. stances, it was not possible for Pope to maintain his front after a suitable body had been detached to defeat Jack son on his flank. In his report he says: "The movement of General Jackson in the direction of Thoroughfare Gap, while the main body of the enemy confronted me at Sulphur Springs and Waterloo Bridge, was well known to Is still expecting re. me, but I had relied confidently upon the forces which I had been assured would be sent from Alexandria, and one strong division of which I had ordered to take post on the works at Manassas Junction. I was entirely under the belief that these would be there, and it was not until I found my communication intercepted that I was undeceived. I knew that this movement was no raid, and that it was made by not less than 25,000 men."

enforcements.

Hooker defeats
Ewell.

Of Pope's retreating columns, that under Hooker encountered the Confederates, under Ewell, on the 27th, driving him from the field with considerable loss. Hooker's division went into this action with only forty rounds of ammunition, and when the work was done had only five rounds to each man left. It was this defeat of Ewell that compelled Jackson to evacuate Manassas. His position had become perilous. If Pope could have blocked Thoroughfare Gap, and prevented the passage of Longstreet, he might have fallen with an overwhelming force on Jackson. To aid in this movement, Pope sent explicit orders to Porter, but they were not executed.

Jackson retires

Jackson, seeing his danger, fell back from Manassas, not by the route through which he had from Manassas, come, which would have brought him upon McDowell and Sigel, who were west of him, but across

in and is followed by person

Pope.

Bull Run by Centreville. Pope reached Manassas about midday on the 28th, in less than an hour after Jackson had left it. He pushed forward Hooker, Kearny, and Reno upon Centreville, ordering Porter to come to the Junction, and McDowell to move upon Centreville. McDowell had detached Ricketts's division toward Thoroughfare Gap, so that it was no longer available in this movement.

Expectation that

In the evening of the 28th Kearny drove the enemy's rear-guard out of Centreville. One portion of it took the road to Sudley's Spring, the other the Warrenton Turnpike toward Gainesville, destroying the bridges over Bull Run and Cub Run. The corps of McDowell and Sigel, with Reynolds's division, now marching toward Centreville, encountered the advance of Jackson's force, retreating toward Thoroughfare Gap, about six o'clock that evening. An action took place which was indecisive, and was terminated by the darkness. On learning this, Pope, who was now at Centreville, felt that there was Jackson would be no escape for Jackson. Accordingly, he enveloped. sent orders to McDowell to hold his ground at all hazards, and prevent the retreat of Jackson to the West. He intended that at daylight the entire national forces from Centreville and Manassas should attack the enemy, who must be crushed between them. He sent orders to Kearny to move cautiously, after midnight, from Centreville along the Warrenton Turnpike, to keep close to the enemy, and at daylight to assault him vigorously with his right advance. Hooker and Reno would support him very soon after dawn. He ordered Porter, who he supposed was at Manassas Junction, to move upon Centreville as soon as it was light.

Pope's forces were therefore so disposed that McDowell, Pope's arrangements Sigel, and Reynolds, whose conjoint strength was 25,000, were immediately west of Jack

for that purpose.