The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-08-29
GENERAL POPE.s RETREAT.
NARRATIVE OF THE FIRST DAYS MOVEMENT.

GENERAL POPE's RETREAT.
NARRATIVE OF TIE FIRST DAYS MOVEMENT.
We copy the following from the correspon-
aence of the New York Tribune.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA.
CEDAR MOUNTAIN, Aug, Is, 1862.
Again on the march, and that march a re-
tat. The camp, which only yesterday was
pitched at the foot of this mountain, now me-
morable forever, dissolved this afternoon in
to thin air. and headquarters are here without
camp; but here only for an hour-or three
hours. it matters not. \ hurried order came
to be ready to start at once, and before two
hours had passed tents and luggage-all of
headquarters but its personnel-were moving
to the rear. We understand it is whispered
that the whole Army of Virginia is in retreat
and presently it begins to be added that the
whole Army Of Richmond is on the advance 5;
that the rebels threaten to turn our left flank
in word. are marching straight for Fred
ericksburg, for Washington, for the North.
/ Perhaps, but before tie North, before Wash
ington, before Fredericksburg is reached, the
/
rate battles of the war are to be fought. This
army is not running away, nor is General
Pope outgeneraled yet by Stonewall Jack
| son.
Threatened on the left flank threatened
/ by an army that counts its hundreds of thou
sands of maddened and desperate troops
the army of Virginia retreats indeed, but it
retreats to fight. By daylight it must cross
the Rappahannock, but when once on the
Northern bank of that river, it no longer re-
treats-it begins to man"uvTe. The battles
I Of this war are only about 20 begin.
Was it wholly unexpected2 BY no means.
/ 1t was believed to be possible probable. The
newspaper has hesitated to publish that Nc
CIellan was abandoning the Peninsula, but
! 10 one doubted that the rebels watched every
step of his retreating force. They saw that
/ their hour to strike was come. While Pope
( had flung himself with chivalrous audacity on
! their front to distract attention from McClel-
lan--whie that General was striving to put
his forces where they might once more IS
sumo the offensive, changing his whole plan
/ of campaign in order to commence another
while Richmond ceased to be threatened from
the James, and its whole army was liberated
to strike-what better hour could the rebel
chiefs-able generals as they are-desire :?
I They saw their opportunity, and they hesitat-
ed no more now than ever before to strike
where and when the blow would fall surest
/ and heaviest.
( Mcclellan. We suppose and hope, is safe
Troops are hurrylng to meet Us. Our march
is for the Rappahannock. and if, beyond the
, Rappahannock safely, we meet the men who
march TO join our arms, this army turns in its
| footsteps and awaits the shock
Sigel marches at twelve tonight. The
dead who sleep around Us on this desperate
field, with their faces to the South, turn unea
silly to this backward tread, and YOU may al
most hear in this darkening twilight the voice
that asks if all have died in vain. No, never
in vain. Heroic deaths are the inspiration
of the living. No battle is wholly lost tlat
is bravely fought. Every life that was pour
ed out under the shadow OF Cedar Mountain
was given in noble purpose. 1t is time to
hear from Mcclellan elsewhere. We NAV
hear tomorrow the tread Of friendly f .et
beyond the Rappahannock-we may hear the
march OF hostile armies before We reach it.
CrLrErrEE Court HoUSE. Arg. 1916 AN.
Gen Pope retained his headquarters at Ce-
dar Mountain till midnight then mounted
with his staff, and rode to Culpepper. reach
Ing it at >. Not an inch of road that was not
filed with wagon>-most of them hating
Before the start. the last had passed head
quarters. but Cn!y to crowd together in con-
fusion in tie darkness, and bindiy grope
their way over new made roads in the fields.
Divouac fires were burning everywhere the
night was clear. the starlight WAS brilliant.
and not long after l. the moon came up ::
bat there is blending of light and shade on
countless Strange scenes which makes every
thing indistinct and mysterious makes it
easy to lose ones way and almost impossible
to find it. 50 the endless trains made little
progress in the rear, and only gave promise
of a worse condition in front. The General
took charge in pcrs,.n. and his energetic eff
forts soon started the lettering Wagons. and
as he overlook successive trains, put every
one quick y in motion.
There are no troops on the road at first.
They have hardly begun to move-could
hardly move if they had tried. II is Just pos
sble for the Generals cavalcade. winding is
way in and out of the lahvrinth of trains, and
riding almost wholly ont of the road. to make
its way slow y forward. \ regiment cannot
march as 4 regiment till the roads are clear ::
nor need the troops move far on the road till
the trains are well on their way. The trains
are to be brought of, if it costs fight before
We reach the river.
The retreat Of our army, and the advance
Of the rebels in overwhelming force, are no
longer secrets. Beside the reports of scouts
and Reconnaissance. We have the evidence of
an officer who was in Richmond ONLY las,
Friday, and his cvidel ce is that in Richmond
there are on Y three thousand troops; that
the whole rebel force, from one hundred and
fifty to one hundred and seventy-tive thou
sand strong, is marching on Washington. is
within twenty miles or less of Gen Pope. and
hopes to destroy his army. Long before this
can be read at the North, it will be known in
every village that Washington is again threa-
tened by the advance of rel.el army. and
that its fate is question of days. If McClel-
Ian has sent Them if they meet US on the
Rappahannock if we can gather three fourths
of the rebel strength-then safety and yicto-
ry. But if not
Hard Fight en- the Rappahannock..
StoneWal! JackSOn'> Forces Cut Up.