CHAPTER VI.

CAMPAIGN BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND GORDONSVILLE.

In the meantime energetic measures were taken on the part of the North for the prosecution of the war. On July 11, by order of President Lincoln, General Halleck was appointed General-in-Chief of the whole land-forces of the United States. General Burnside, with a large portion of his army, was recalled from North Carolina, and despatched to the James River to reinforce General M'Clellan, and plans were considered for another advance on Richmond under the guidance of the officer who had been so successful at Island No. 10.

General Pope, who had been appointed to the command of the forces in the vicinity of Washington and in the Shenandoah Valley, was an officer of the regular army, and previous to the war with the South had performed various services, more especially connected with engineering, on the south-western frontier. When the war of Secession broke out he was employed in Missouri, and acquired some renown at Island No. 10, and much notoriety from his despatch announcing the capture of 10,000 men of General Beauregard's army on the retreat from Corinth. On his arrival at Washington he was warmly welcomed by the personal and political opponents of General M'Clellan, as well as by the great majority of the common people, who were

ready to receive with favour a new man, especially if by any peculiarities he gave promise of the brilliant talent which had been long looked for and eagerly expected in the many generals whom the war had raised to eminence if not to fame. In every way General Pope proclaimed himself as opposed to the policy of General M'Clellan. He disapproved of his retreat to the James River, and, in ignorance of the circumstances of the case, impressed upon the President that he ought, at any sacrifice, to have withdrawn in the direction of Hanover Court-house.* With regard to his method of treating belligerents and the unarmed population of the South, he advocated an entirely different line of conduct: and whilst General M'Clellan was urging upon President Lincoln the policy of conducting the war on the highest principles known to Christian civilisation-saying that it should not be a war upon population, but against armed forces and political organisations, and that neither confiscation of property, political executions of persons, territorial organisation of States, or forcible abolition of slavery should be contemplated for a momentt-General Pope issued orders that his troops should live on the country in which they campaigned, and directed that subscription to the oath of allegiance, or banishment beyond the lines of the army to the South, should be the choice of the farmers of Eastern Virginia and of the Shenandoah Valley. In his notorious address to the Army of Virginia, he evidently aimed a blow against the strategy of General M'Clellan; and although no soldier can approve of the bombastic tone of the order, and few

* General Pope's official report; Rebellion Record, vol. v. p. 342. Documents.

† Vide General M'Clellan's letter to Mr. Lincoln, July 7th, 1862.

can restrain a smile at the results of the campaign which immediately followed its issue, yet under its boastful tone there are some grains of truth. In these terms did Pope announce his appointment to the command of the Army of Virginia

:

By special assignment of the President of the United States, I have assumed command of this army. I have spent two weeks in learning your whereabouts, your condition, and your wants; in preparing you for active operations, and in placing you in positions from which you can act promptly and to the purpose. I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies-from an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary and to beat him when found-whose policy has been attack and not defence. In but one instance has the enemy been able to place our Western armies in a defensive attitude. I presume that I have been called here to pursue the same system, and to lead you against the enemy; it is my purpose to do so, and that speedily. I am sure you long for an opportunity to win the distinction you are capable of achieving; that opportunity I shall endeavour to give you. Meantime I desire you to dismiss from your minds certain phrases which I am sorry to find much in vogue amongst you. I hear constantly of taking strong positions and holding themof lines of retreat, and bases of supplies. Let us discard such ideas. The strongest position which a soldier should desire to occupy is one from which he can most easily advance against the enemy. Let us study the probable lines of retreat of our opponents, and leave our own to take care of themselves. Let us look before us, not behind: success and glory are in the advance-disaster and shame lurk in the rear. Let us

act on this understanding, and it is safe to predict that your banners shall be inscribed with many a glorious deed, and that your names shall be dear to your countrymen for ever.'

It was

Such was the proclamation of July 14! received with favour by the people of the North: its swagger was pleasing to their ears, and its tone gave promise-to the too easily credulous-of a brilliant campaign, fought, more Americano, on principles of strategy unknown to the generals of the Old World. The shadow of truth which lay under its bombastic nonsense was the check it gave to the ignorant use of phrases relating to the art of war, too common among the civilian soldiers of the North.

The first object of General Pope after taking command was to concentrate the scattered corps under the respective commands of M'Dowell, Sigel (formerly Fremont), and Banks. The total strength he estimated at 38,000, and he formed the design of so placing his force as to cover Washington, and at the same time to draw away troops from the Confederate army which was pressing General M'Clellan. His line of operations was the Orange and Alexandria Railway-the same that had been used in the advance preceding the Battle of Bull's Run, and again when the Army of the Potomac marched on Centreville. His objective point was Gordonsville, on the Virginia Central Railway, although prospectively he looked for a farther advance on Richmond. In order to carry out these plans, he concentrated the corps of Banks and Shields and one division of M'Dowell's army at Sperryville, east and at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, whilst he left the other division of General M'Dowell at Falmouth to watch the lower fords of the Rappahannock, and to protect the Aquia Creek

Railway. On the 14th of July, General Pope pushed forward his cavalry towards Gordonsville, and ordered General King, at Falmouth, to make a reconnaissance in force along the Richmond and Fredericksburg Railway. The former accomplished nothing, as General Ewell had been detached from Jackson's corps,* and on the 16th of July reached Gordonsville, and prevented any attack on the line of rail. King's reconnaissance was also productive of little result.

The Federal cavalry were now stationed along the line of the Rapidan river, and in the beginning of August the outpickets reported that the enemy was advancing, both in the direction of Madison Courthouse, and also from Gordonsville towards Culpepper Court-house. Uncertain by which line the attack would be made, and jealous of his communications with Fredericksburg, Pope moved his infantry and artillery from Sperryville to Culpepper Court-house, and ordered Banks to occupy a strong position at Cedar Mountain, a few miles in advance; at the same time telegraphing to M'Clellan that the force in his front was reduced in numbers, and leading that General to push forward Hooker's division to Malvern Hill. On the 8th of August Jackson crossed the Rapidan, and took up a position in the wooded and hilly country in the vicinity of the main road from Gordonsville to Culpepper. His force consisted of about 15,000 men, and was composed of his own division under General Winder, with General Ewell's and a portion of General A. P. Hill's divisions.

On the afternoon of the 9th August, the skirmishers of the two armies came into collision, and soon afterwards the artillery opened on both sides. The Confede

About this time the Confederate army was organised in corps d'armée.