The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-19 00:00:00

" A commanding hill in our possession was

threatened by a hostile movement in force. Gen
Pope was informed, and was asked to send another
battery to hold it. If you do not in 15 minutes
the enemy will be in possession of the He
refused to send it. In ten minutes rebel artillery
was playing from that hill on our troops.
" Generals who fought with the most heroic
courage and the most soldierly ability, whose praises
are in every one's mouth, speak of the battles in
which they have just won honest fame with chagrin
and remorse, Their own efforts became futile from
the incompetence of their commanding general.
" Said one to me, must ask to be relieved un-
less General Pope is removed. I cannot see my
men murdered.'
" I met a general who had led his division in the
hottest of the fight with heroic courage and veteran
skill. He said, 4I have lost 1,000 men ; I dare not
go into the hospital and look in the faces of those
wounded men who, I know, have shod their blood
bravely and in vain.' It was Carl Schurz.
" The successful movement of the rebels upon the
flank and rear of General Pope must be traced not
to his want of proper means of information, but to
his refusal to regard the intelligence that was sent
him. He was officially informed of it, but would
not believe it, would not even take reasonable pre-
cautions against its possibility. He actually with-
drew Sigel's corps from his exposed flank, while
the enemy were turning that point. Officers sta-
tioned in front on the Rappahannock line saw for
three days the constant clouds of dust which an-
nounced the moving columns to the enemy, but to
the eye of the general they gave no sign. He per-
sisted in regarding their success at Catlett's as a
mere cavalry dash, and was hardly convinced by
Manassas that the enemy had gained his rear in
force. From that hour his movements have been
followed by nothing but disaster.
"But it is needless, and I have no time to accu-
mulate evidence on such points. Half the strength
of an army is confidence in its commander. That
confidence is not given to General Pope. The opi-
nion of his troops is unanimously against him. I
saw numerous officers of all ranks in almost every
corps of the army. There is no dissent or disagree-
ment. They will not, cannot fight under Pope
with confidence. The Army of Virginia demands
a General.'
" I state these facts as I find them, expressing no
other opinion than what moulds itself out of the
facts. Heretofore I have praised General Pope—
some friends of mine thought too liberally. Ido not
think so. It is still my opinion that down to the
time when he arrived on the Rappahannock his
campaign was pursued with ability, and was de-
servedly s-accessful. But from the moment he set
his foot this side the river there have been only
delay, disasters, and retreat. That his army has
lost confidence in him lam bound to record. If I
state it strongly it is because the impression sud-
denly received was equally strong.
" On Monday there was no fight till toward even-
ing. General Howard, commanding the Ist bri-
gade of General Sedgwick's division, made au
armed reconnaissance on a road leading northward
from Centreville to Stuart's house, on the Little
Rirar Turnpike. General Sedgwick supported the
movement with General Gorman's brigade. Near
the junction of the roads they came upon the
enemy's cavalry pickets, who fell back on the in-
fantry pickets. The latter refused to be driven in,
but opened a rapid, scattering' Erie on General
Howard and his escort, who wet e in the advance.
The enemy were finally compellod.ho unmask a line
of battle, extending along the tt rtipike and in the
woods nearly two miles, developing cavalry and
artillery, besides infantry. It became evident that
they were holding the position to the right in force,
cr moving by that road in hetiaay columns. In con-
sequence of General Howard's discoveries General
Kearney was sent to the support of General Reno,
who with his divisions held the extreme right of
our position.
ro
• "The battle which was fought in the evening
was fought during a storm of rain and thunder and
lightning so severent. tßhaidtintgheatcatnhne timeonad
cannonading Isa
on
a r
some miles away with another general, I
s
heard at the not
frecon-
naissance
had heard nothing of the fight till it was over. A
clear account of it given urn next morning by an
officer who was in the battle
is contained in a letter
sent you yesterday.
"'Troops have been
moving during the whole of
the day in all directions. It
was generally under-
storatt that Centreville was to be abandoned. An
order of march was issued in the afternoon, and the
waggons immediately began moving in the rear.
The troops were to march at night. Most of the
tents were struck at once. I rode out beyond the
crest of the hill to look at some disposition of cover-
ing forces in front. The gathering storm grew dark
in the western sky, and purple shades fell early over
the gloomy battlefield that lay hid in the thickets
covering the plain. There were still the log huts
which sheltered the rebels last winter; there was
the road over which our routed forces passed—the
streams and hills and woods, all memorable for ever.
It has all been often described since Manassas was