, 1862-09-12

GEN. PoPE'S OFFICIAL REPORT.

gnTerDnent refused to publish 1t in an Official
form, and Gen. Pope mikes it public, We sup
pose, in self-defense.-ED. C1ScISSArI Ga
zEr1E.I
O1teiul Report Of Gen. Pope on the Operations
Of The Army GJ' Ttry!aid.
have the honor to submit the following
brit tketch Of the operations of the army,
since hr 9th Of August:
moTt from Sperrsvil1e, Little Washing
ton sbd Warrenton. with the cnrps Of Banks
and Sjgel, ard one division of McDowelis
corps, numbering 10 all 50Uo0 men,
10 meet The enemy, who had crossed the Rap
5dan. and was advancing upon Culpappes.
The movement to ward Gordonsville had COM
pletely succeeded in drawing off large force I
from Richmond, and in relieving the Army OF
the Potomac from much.ot the dangers which
Threatened its Withdrawal from the peninsula.
The action OF August 9th, at Cedar Mouu-
tain, with the forces under jackson, which !
compelled his retreat across the R,p'dan, |
made necessary still further reiuforcemeat5 |
Of the eneey from Richmond, and By this !
time, 1t being apparent that the army OF the /
Potomac w:s eFacuating the p.nin<ula, the |
whole force of the enemy AROUND Rumond
WAS pushed forward with great rapidly to |
crush the army Of Virginia before the forces !
evacuatiDg the peninsula could be United
with it.
I remained at Cedar Mountain, and still
threatened to cross the apidau, until tue 18th
Of August, at which time Gen. RooerL Lse nAd |
8: sembled in our front. and within eight |
miles, nearly the whole of the rebel army. as
soon as I ascerraIned this fact, and kne = that
tie army OF the Potomac was no longer ia
dargrr. I drew back my whole force acros5
the Rappahaunock, on the night Of the 17Ih
and day Of th= 15sA, without loss Of any kiud,
and one day in advance of Gen. Lse's pro-
posed movements against Lne.
The enemy immediately appeared iu my
| frnnt az Rappabannock Station, to pass tbs
| river at that brjdge and the numerous forts
| above and below, but without success: The
| line OF the Upper Rsppahaunock, which had
bceu ordered to hold, that the enemy mi shs be
| delayed long enough in his advance upon
! Washington, to eu2hle tue far2es fro n the Pc
ninsula to land and effect junction with m:,
| T8s very weak, as itcould he crossed a. aim ,5t
| any point above the railroad bridge, by g.'o1
! foFdr. By constant vigilance aud actlvitg,
and much severe fighting for three dAys, the
enemy were gradually f,rc-d around frou the
railroad crossing to Waterloo bridge, West OF
| Harrsnion.
BY loss il battie, and By fatigue and exposure,
so that all 1huugb l had heen JOINED by d.
! tachment urder General Reao, and the other
division OF McDo~elIs corps, tng force barely
numbered 10000 men. Oa tue I'D, heavy
| rain tell, which rendered the fo!ds OF the
| river impossible for twentE-tour hours. As
soon as / discovered this, eenceetya'ed nv
iorcts and marched rapidly upon Sulphur
Springs and Waterloo bridge. to drive b .ck
the forces Of the enemy which had succ1-,lcd
in crossing at these points. this was sa: :e5s.
fully done, and the bridges destroyer. I
passed one day, OF rather part Of one. at War
fenton ard beyond.
TIE enemy still continued to move slowly
around, along the river. masking ever; ford
with artillery and heavy forces Of inf1atry. 80
ttat it was impossible for NE to at'ack hin,
.Aen Sih the grta1Iy interi forces III Ter ny
command, without passing the river over
;ort= strongly guarded, in the face Of very SUI
| p-rior Dumhers. The movement Of ackson
toward White Plains and il the d'r1cti,n ot
ThcTougbfafe Glp, while the main body q!
| .ie tEeuy confronted lie ut Sulphur Spring
aud Watcr;oo B:idge. Was well knosn ID rn:,
but relied confidently upon the forces # hich
bad been ASSURED would he sent from t'ey-
-nd,ia, AID une heavy division which had
ordered 10 take post in the woods at MAnas.
SIS Junction.
/ WIS entirely under the belief that these
would be there, and it, was not until fond
; NY communications Intercepted. that VA:
uLleceiTtd. I knew that tnis movement was
f 10 raid, and that it was made by rot less tn a0
: q 0DD men. BIZ this time the army corps .
usintzelman, about II, ,3}o strons' had "a :he1
thirk, on the very day of attack. But they
came without ar'i iIlery, with on1l fo:ty rou l3:
c OF ammuni lou to the man, wit1ous Wagoas,
. and ercn the field and general ott1- -cr5 wi5hou
borres.
\ Fitz John Porter also arrived at Bealtou SIS
# ton, ntar Rappahauoock River, with one 0
- bis divisions, i 800 strong; whilss his othe
+ division was still 4 Barr.,tt's and Keler',
O Fords. I directed thar corps. aoou; : ~!
stroDg, to concentrate inl.ntdi3-cl7 at War
i vas. This WAS accomplished ou the even:ui
= Of the Goth As soon a It bee anla kno 80 t.
ME that jackson WAS on the railroad, it becam
IT sI'parent that the Upper RappahAnaock va
| 10 longer tenable-
could not detach = sufIi.l2nt force to mcy
L | jackson, AID ut the sAnt tin. attempt to CO.
j. trout the main body Of the enemy. / acccrs
:, i1gy at once evacuated Il LIT .uton end " i
"a rsn'on Junction, diree'iag Med ,weu with hi
ID own Corps and Siyel's and the division at k-1
j, | mods, to march rlpidly by the turnpike t
Gainesville, so as to intercept any relnforc
e. ! ments coming to the enemy bJ the wtF
r. Thorougtfdre Gap, and instructiug Gen. Rcn
: with his command, and k',arnty ~i:h Que
OF 1ieion Of Heinzeltnan's, TO march on Grecl
,s. "ich, so as to support Mcdowell in Case
: necessity
y With Hooker'= division Of H+intzelman
Us corps, m,vtd along the railroad upon Ma
-, ltsas Junction, near Kettle Run. q ,ok
= calnc upon the a'lv4nce of E TclI>5 rebel dit
C. eion on the AFTERNOON Of TIC 37th. A srve
,, action took place, which termiaatca as DIT
=, Eweli being driven from the tisid with {
he loss Of his camp and three hundred killed at
m wouuLed. The uufur; unAt@ oversight Of n
49, having more than forty rounds Of amnnuiti,
JUS hecame at orce alarming. At ni!btfil1 a. )k
or cad hut about five rounds to the man t.ft !
-, scon He learned this, l sent back orders
~ Gen. Fig John Porter to march with bis cor
nd ct o'clock that night, 50 as to BE- will &c
it Hos ktr at daylight in the morning.
The distance was niue miles, aud he receiV
the dispatch ct $3.50 o'clncs, hus did not re ,
the ground until alter ten o'clock the ne
ers G,oIp'ng. He can probably explain hett
mr. tlan c4n The rrlsoo of this delay. Fart
@ natel{, Gens raj Hooker had handled the CT
'2s IL, SC severely tie evening before, AID t
all | movement Of Mcdowell had he:-an 10 be
Mt | 50 apparent, that the enemy, fearful OF hi
~. surrounded, had retired pr.cip pi:ate1y fr,
Lae Manassas Junction; directing his retr
ard through Centre, lie, as Rrno, II ID owell 4
he Kcarrty, had made the road through Gain
ba vll1.. in prac1icab1e-
~, ~ inn4 di,tely pushed forward to Msaas
'els and thence to CentVcvile, which placc =
hat occupied by Kearney that night, oo1y a
hours after the enemy had left it. Gen. r.
lad reached Manassas Junction, and Il ,nz
,rv FHy John Pewter VAS inmediAt :lY ofls
from Broad Run, where he had etopp
III. McDawe1l's movement, conan't"d with 50
aud y;gor, had been compictelf succes Il
1ty, the enemy bring Intercepted st GAia=sy,
on ard part Of lis forces driven back throl
;,,- Thorcuehtlre Gap.
tue Mcdowell continued to march al >n5
licy turnpike towards Ceutrcville, leaving G =ut
M Tickets, wi'ir his division, in observation
~:. Thorough1are Gap. Lite in the eyeatag,
AZ the eS'h, Mcdowell advanced Gibbon's 3
Centrryil1e, sad about six miles from
,rI- place. 4 very sharp eh:rmish here t.
pl1cc, end: hy the dlrkn=ss, ia which
Iran hr sfie OF Gen. Gibaon behaved very h
n. sorne1y, and suffered heavy loss. 6.n. S
Vas Lear at hand with his corps, but did
the Join she action.
ings instructed Gen. kearuey to move for"
the at carly dawn OF daY, toward Gaiusyille, Z
t folio red cloEe1y By Hooker and Reno, and
- ~ gage thr cps MY thu placed bet geen Med
Rev. / ii and Sixel; IIeintzrimAu and Reno on
ex. cast sud Fl'z John Porter on tue south
:, - :.lso instructed Gen, Porter, With his
aoF co@us, and Kings division, which Il I'd
so1ne rc2son tslIeu buck from the Narra
turnpike toward II Mauassas Junction, to Il
! the st d1yl ght in the N 'rnirE upon u iucs'
~ along the Manassas Gap Railroad, until
:, ~ communicated c}ose'S with the forces Il
hl9h Gen. Heintzclmau and Sigel, cau'ioning
o at not to ge. further tt u was necessary to G
no+ this jnnc'iou. as we might be forced to r
bEhinn Bull Run that nigh, for subsists
pug if nothing else.
4 the Ger. Heiutz+luau merched carly from
umed t1erille towards GAINESVILLE, closely tollt
in =, by Reno. Mean'ine shortly after davl
s;a.:. s}kes' and Reynolds divisions Of McDo
tio1le ctrps, became engaged with the enemy
mn was brought to stand. tn+zcitn ~
and Reno soon after came up, when the eusits
c{ru became actively engaged. Por'er NJ Arch
directed, followed oy k1pg's division, y
4 De- was. by this time, joined by Ricketts, dir
= die which had been forced back from Thort
which anc;n9 ~ ~ tho snnnc+ 'afe9s ~ o. tne eaetQ
As soon as fouud that tue enemy h Ii
brought to halt, aud WAS beIap yieor
The o,tc cEt n a1arfr the Warrnrtnn snrn ,ttn