Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-04-22

General Pope thereupon hazardously
determined to mass his entire force, re-
cross the Rappahannock by the bridges
and fords at Rappahannock Station and
Kelly's Ford below, and fall fIlriously
with his entire command on the flank
and rear of the enemy. The necessary
orders were at once given and the move
ment was to take place on the following
morning. But during the night heavy
rain set in which caused a rise of six or
eight feet in the river, sweeping away all
the bridges and destroying the fords.
When morning dawned the contemplated
movement was found impracticable, but
the same rise in the river which defeated
1t fortunately raised -A-neW- barrier to the
advance of the enemy, atoning in some
degree for the continued failure of the
expected re-enforcements.
During the same night, (of the zzd),
Gen. J. E. B. Stuart with , 800 rebel caval-
ry and two guns, having passed by way Of
Waterloo Bridge and WarrentOn, sur
prised General Pope's headquarters train
at Catlett's Station, in the furious rain
and intense darkness, destroying a few
wagons and endeavoring to burn the
railroad bridge over Cedar Run, but be-
ing defeated in that design by the heavy
rain then falling. At the time of this
raid Pope's entire army trains were
parked at Catlett's and were guarded by
not less than I, 900 infantry and five
companies of cavalry. The gross neg
igence of this guard in allowing itself to
be surprised was shameful in the ex-
IRENE, but the fact that such a raid, by a
force so small, was possible, shows how
much exposed at this time were Pope's
communications and how pressing the
need that McClellan's columns should
be hastened forward.
Believing the rise in the river would,
for the time being, cover his left, Pope
now determined to fall in full strength
upon that part of the enemy's force
which had crossed the river on his right
and interposed between him and War
renton. By ten clock on the morning
of the 23d the entire army was moving
in execution of this new design. Gen
eraI Sigel, supported by Reno and
Banks, was directed to march upon Sui
phl1r Springs, attack whatever opposing
force he might encounter and push along
the river to Waterloo bridge. McDow-.
ellis Corps, augmented by the PennsyI-
vania reserves under General REYNOLDS,
moved upon Warrenton, whittier Gener-
al Pope directed his own course, and
which was occupied the ensuing night
without resistance. Sigel did not get
along quite so smoothly. Milroy's bri-
gade, as usual, leading his advance, came
upon the enemy late in the afternoon in
the vicinity of Great Run. A sharp
action followed, in the course of which
the enemy was driven across Great Run
but succeeded in destroying the bridge
over which he passed. Next morning
(the 24th) Sigel crossed Great Run and
occupied Sulphur Springs under heavy
fire from the batteries which the enemy
had established all along the right bank
of the Rappahannock.
In the afternoon Sigel was directed to
push on to Waterloo bridge which he
did, Milroy's brigade, leading, arriving
there late in the afternoon. During the
ensuing night (of the 24th) our army
was concentrated in the neighborhood
of Warrenton as follows SigeTs corps
and Bufords cavalry near the Kappa
hammock at Waterloo bridge Banks
corps Immediately behind Sigel's; Reno's S
at Sulphur Springs; Reynolds division
at Warrenton; Ricketts, four miles east
of Waterloo on the Warrenton road, and
Kings between Sulphur Springs and
w dA4 GlAlOll. llC lOANC5 VI AA4C CllClllJ
were strewn up and down the river from
Rappahannock Station to Waterloo
bridge, his center and main body resting
opposite Sulphur Springs.
Along this line the two armies had for
four days kept up, chiefly with artillery
and slSirmishers, an almost continuous
engagement. AT times the fighting be-
came severe, and in a brisk affair of
SigeIs at Freeman Ford Brigadier Gen
eral Bohlen had been killed A large
part of the troops were almost constant
iy under fire and all were held momently
ready for a general engagement. The
prolonged unrest, fighting and fatigue
had told heavily on the troops, and
Sigers command was now reduced to
scarcely 5000 effectives Banks to
5000; McDowell's, S, including Reynolds
Reserves, to IS, 500; and Reno's to T.
900. The cavalry, having gone through
thirty days unintermittent picketing and
scouting, numbered not over 1000,
making Pope's aggregate force now in
hand not over 10000 electives. Con-
| fronting these was the veteran army
which had beaten back Mcclellan from
Mechanicsville to Harrison's Landing,
and which, strong in its prestige and
elated with its success, now numbered
probably not less than 10000 men.
Halleck had promised on the 2Ist to
make Pope strong enough within forty
| eight hours to hold the line of the Rap