parture from my orders on the part General Hatch. Finding it no longer practicable to occupy Gordonsville as I had designed, I sent orders to General Banks to direct General Hatch to select from his own cavalry and that of General McDowell, which I had sent forward, fifteen hundred to two thousand of the best mounted men, and to proceed from Madison Court House around the west side of the Blue Ridge, to a point whence he could make an easy descent upon the railroad west of Gordonsville, and, if successful, to push forward to Charlottesville, and if possible destroy the railroad between that place and Lynchburg. In compliance with this order, General Hatch commenced to make the movement, as directed, but abandoned it very soon after he started, and returned by the way of Sperryville to his post. As soon as I had received the report of this second failure, I relieved General Hatch from the command of the cavalry of General Banks's corps, and sent Brigadier General Buford to report to General Banks as the chief of cavalry of his corps. On the 29th of July I left Washington, and, after reviewing Ricketts's division of McDowell's corps at Waterloo bridge, repaired to the headquarters of General Banks, a few miles southeast of Little Washington. All preparations having been completed, I instructed General Banks to move forward on the 7th of August, and take post at the point where the turnpike from Sperryville to Culpeper crosses the Hazel river. General McDowell was ordered on the day previous to move forward with Ricketts's division from Waterloo bridge to Culpeper Court House, so that on the 7th of August all the infantry and artillery forces of the army of Virginia were assembled along the turnpike from Sperryville to Culpeper, and numbered about twenty-eight thousand men. General King's division, as I have before stated, was left on the Lower Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg, and was not then available for active operations in the direction of Gordonsville. The cavalry forces covering the front of the army on that day were distributed as follows: General Buford, with five regiments, was posted at Madison Court House, with his pickets along the line of the Rapidan, from Burnett's ford as far west as the Blue Ridge. General Sigel had been directed to post a brigade of infantry and a battery of artillery at the point where the road from Madison Court House to Sperryville crosses Robertson's river, as a support to the cavalry of General Buford, in front of him. General Bayard, with four regiments of cavalry, was posted near Rapidan station, the point where the Orange and Alexandria road crosses Rapidan river, with his pickets extended as far to the east as Raccoon ford, and connecting with General Buford on his right at Burnett's ford. From Raccoon ford to the forks of the Rappahannock, above Falmouth, the Rapidan was lined with cavalry pickets. On the top of Thoroughfare mountain, about half-way between Generals Bayard and Buford, was established a signal station, which overlooked the whole country as far south as Orange Court House. GENERAL ORDERS } HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, Near Sperryville, Va., August 6, 1862. Hereafter, in all marches of the army, no straggling or lagging behind will be allowed. Commanders of regiments will be held responsible that this order is observed, and they will march habitually in the rear of their regiments-company commanders in the rear of their respective companies. They will suffer no men of their command to fall behind them on any excuse, except by a written permit of the medical officer of their regiment, that they are too sick to perform the march, and therefore must ride in ambulances. Medical officers will be held responsible that no such written pass is improperly given. Regimental trains will march in rear of the divisions to which the regiments belong in the order of precedence of the regiments in that division. Brigade and division supply trains will follow in the rear of the respective army corps to which they belong. Ambulance and ammunition wagons will follow in rear of their respective regiments, and under no consideration whatever, will any wagon or other vehicle be placed in the column of march, other than as herein before specified. Officers and soldiers of this army will habitually carry two days' cooked rations upon their persons when ordered to perform a march. It is recommended to commanders of corps d'armee that in all cases when it is practicable the shelter tents and knapsacks of the men be carried in the wagons. At least one hundred rounds of ammunition per man will be carried habitually in the cartridge-boxes and on the persons of the men, and any captain of a company whose men at any time are deficient in this amount of ammunition will be arrested and reported to the War Department for dismissal from the service. A proper staff officer will be sent from these headquarters to inspect the troops while on the march, who will report to the major general commanding any violation of or departure from the provisions of this order. Neither officer nor soldier will be permitted to leave his command while on a march, or enter any house, without a written permit from his brigade commander. Where soldiers are obliged for necessary purposes to leave the ranks while on the march, they will turn over their musket and accoutrements to the next man on their right, who will carry the arms and accoutrements and be responsible for them till the owners shall have again taken their places in the ranks. Commanders of corps will prescribe the number of rounds of artillery ammunition to be carried with each battery; but in no case shall any battery be left with less than two hundred rounds for each gun. As good order and discipline are essential to the success of any army, a strict compliance with the provisions of this order is enjoined upon all officers and soldiers of this command, and they are expected and required to report to their superior officers every departure from them. While the major general commanding the army will see to it that every soldier is kindly cared for and supplied with everything necessary for his comfort, he takes occasion to announce to the army that the severest punishment will be inflicted upon every officer and soldier who neglects his duty, and connives at or conceals any such neglect of duty or disobedience of orders on the part of any other officer or soldier. Commanders of the army corps will see that this order is published immediately after the receipt at the head of every regiment in their command. By command of Major General Pope: Official: R. O. SELFRIDGE, Assistant Adjutant General. T. C. H. SMITH, On the 7th I proceeded to Sperryvile and inspected the corps of Major General Sigel. I remained at Sperryville until 4 o'clock in the afternoon of that day, during which time I received several reports from the front that the enemy was crossing the Rappahannock at several points between the railroad crossing of that river and Liberty Mills. I reached Culpeper Court House on the morning of 8th of August. The town had been occupied for several days by Crawford's brigade of General Bank's corps, and on the 7th Picketts's division of McDowell's corps had also reached there from Waterloo bridge. During the whole of the morning of the 8th I continued to receive reports from General Bayard, who was slowly falling back in the direction of Culpeper Court House from the advance of the enemy, and from General Buford, who also reported the enemy advancing in heavy force upon Madison Court House. My instructions required me to be careful and keep my communications good with Fredericksburg, and by no means to permit the enemy to interpose between me and that place. Although during the whole of the 8th of August it was very doubtful, from the reports of Generals Bayard and Buford, whether the enemy's movement was in the direction of Madison Court House or Culpeper, I considered it advisable, in view of my relations with Fredericksburg, to concentrate my whole force in the direction of Culpeper, so as to keep myself constantly interposed between the main body of the enemy and the lower fords of the Rappahannock. Early in the day I pushed forward Crawford's brigade of Banks's corps in the direction of Cedar or Slaughter mountain, to support General Bayard, who was falling back in the direction, and to assist him, as far as practicable, in determining the movements and the forces of the enemy. I sent orders also to General Banks to move forward promptly from Hazel river to Culpeper Court House, and also to General Sigel to march at once from Sperryville to the same place. To my surprise I received, after night on the 8th, a note from General Sigel, dated at Sperryville at 6.30 o'clock that afternoon, asking me by what road he should march to Culpeper Court House. As there was but one road between those two points, and that a broad stone turnpike, I was at a loss to understand how General Sigel could entertain any doubt as to the road by which he should march. This doubt, however, delayed the arrival of his corps at Culpeper Court House several hours, and rendered it impracticable for that corps to be pushed to the front, as I had designed, on the afternoon of the next day. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, Culpeper Court House, August 8, 1862. GENERAL: The general commanding directs me, in reply to your despatch of this date 6.50 p. m., inquiring what road you shall take, to say that you are to march direct to Culpeper Court House by the turnpike. He is surprised that you make this inquiry after his definite instructions of this morning. He directs that you reach this point by 12 m. to-morrow. With great respect, general, your obedient servant, T. C. H. SMITH, Lieutenant Colonel and Aide-de-Camp. Major General SIGEL, A true copy: T. C. H. SMITH, Lieutenant Colonel and Aide-de-Camp. Early on the morning of the 9th of August, I directed General Banks to move forward toward Cedar mountain with his whole corps, and to join the brigade of that corps, under General Crawford, which had been pushed forward on the day previous. I directed General Banks to take up a strong position at or near the point occupied by that brigade, to check the advance of the enemy, and to determine his forces and the character of his movements as far as practicable. The consolidated report of General Banks's corps, received some days previously, exhibited an effective force of something over fourteen thousand men. Appended herewith will be found the return in question. It appeared subsequently, however, that General Banks's forces at that time did not exceed eight thousand men. But although I several times called General Banks's attention to the discrepancy between this return and the force he afterward stated to me he had led to the front, that discrepancy has never been explained, and I do not yet understand how General Banks could have been so greatly mistaken as to the forces under his immediate command. (See correspondence on the subject with General Banks.) NOTE.-Instead of fourteen thousand five hundred infantry and artillery, Banks had only about eight thousand, from his report to me after the battle of Cedar mountain. I certify that this is a true copy of the consolidated morning report of the army of Virginia, dated July 31, 1862, commanded by Major General Pope. MYER ASCH, Captain and Aide-de-Camp. I directed him when he went forward from Culpeper Court House, if the enemy advanced to attack him on the strong position which I had instructed him to take up, that he should push his skirmishers well to the front and notify me immediately. Three miles in his rear and within easy supporting distance, Ricketts's division of McDowell's corps had been posted at the point where the road from Madison Court House to Culpeper intersects the road from Culpeper to Cedar mountain. This division was so posted because it was not certain whether a considerable force of the enemy was not advancing on Culpeper from the direction of Madison Court House, General Buford having reported to me very early on the morning of the 9th from Madison Court House that the enemy was in heavy force on his right, his left, and partly on his rear, and that he was retreating in the direction of Sperryville. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF Virginia, Culpeper Court House, August 8, 1862. One division of the enemy (Elzey's) crossed the Rapidan to-day, at Barnett's ford about five miles west of the railroad crossing and rested at Robertston's river. This is probably a reconnoissance in force, but it may possibly be an advance upon Culpeper. One division of McDowell's and the whole of Banks's corps are here to night. Sigel's will be here to-morrow morning, when I will push the enemy again behind the Rapidan, and take up a strong position as you suggest in your despatch of this date. I will be very careful that my communications with Fredericksburg are not interrupted. We captured to-day about forty prisoners from the enemy, our loss being one cavalry soldier killed, and one wounded. I have directed King to march to-morrow and cross the Rapidan on the plank road at Germania mills, or Ely's ford just below it. It is about thirty-five miles from Federicksburg to this point. Major General HALLECK, Washington. A true copy : JNO. POPE, T. C. H. SMITH, Lieutenant Colonel and Aide-de-Camp. [Received at headquarters 2d army corps, 8.40 a. m., 9th August.] MADISON COURT HOUSE, August 8. Major General BANKS: All of my force is withdrawn from Madison Court House, and is in retreat toward Sperryville. The enemy is in force on both my right and left, and in my rear. I may be cut off. JOHN BUFORD, Received by signal, 8 a. m., Fairfax, Virginia. Brigadier General. T. C. H. SMITH, Lieutenant Colonel and Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS THIRD ARMY CORPS, ARMY OF VIRGINIA, GENERAL: I have just received a letter from the colonel of the Rhode Island cavalry, who says: All is quiet in front of us. The enemy is always before my videttes; on my left there is, perhaps, a regiment of rebel infantry. In a word, I do not believe the enemy to be in force in our front. General Bayard has just ordered me to march to repulse the enemy." Very respectfully, general, your obedient servant, Major General POPE, &c. IRVIN MCDOWELL,. Major General Commanding 3d A. C., A. V. T. C. H. SMITH, Lieutenant Colonel and Aide-de-Camp.. Desultory artillery firing had been kept up all day on the 9th in the direction of General Banks's corps, but I continued to receive, during the whole of that day, reports from General Banks, that no considerable force of the enemy had come forward; that his cavalry had been ostentatiously displayed, but that he did not believe that the enemy was in sufficient force to make any attack upon him. As late as 5 o'clock in the afternoon General Banks wrote me substantially to the same effect; but before I had received this last note the artillery firing had become so rapid and continuous that I feared a general engagement was going on, or might be brought on at any moment. I therefore instructed General McDowell to move forward Ricketts's division rapidly to the field, and accompanied that division myself. At no time during the day did General Banks express any apprehension of attack in force by the enemy, nor did he ask or intimate that he needed re-enforcements. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, SECOnd Corps, Major General POPE: General Williams's division has taken position on the pike, the right on a heavy body of woods; General Augur on the left, his left resting on a mountain occupied by his skirmishers. He will soon be in position. The enemy shows his cavalry (which is strong) ostentatiously. No infantry seen, and not much artillery. Woods on left said to be full of troops. A visit to the front does not impress that the enemy intends immediate attack. He seems, however, to be taking positions. A true copy: N. P. BANKS. T. C. H. SMITH, Lieutenant Colonel and Aide-de-Camp. |