The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-28

In dealing with the operations o.
Gen. Pope in Virginia I shall not criti
else the strategetic or military move
ments connected Herewith, but simpl!
give the truthful narrative of par
ticipant. aiming to give my full expert
ence in one of the most desperately
contested campaigns of the great re
bellion. 1t was q campaign which wa.
all fought out between the 9Th O.
August, 1862, and the I'd OF September
1S62-less than a month Of bloody bat
ties. 1t was pregnant with human en-
durance and personal heroism, here
and there marred by failure and disas
ter. To use the language of Maj Rich
ard Dodson, of Stuart's Confederate Ar
tillery:
| 'The record of no portion Of the wal
Is more honorable to the soldiers o.
both sides than that comprised between
the 9th and 3Oth of August, 1862, ir
| northern Virginia. 1t was period OF
| almost ceaseless marching and fight
ing, period which tested the pluck
and endurance of the men on both
sides to degree rarely equaled and
never surpassed"
HartsuMs Brigade.
The brigade to which belonged con-
sisted Of the 18th and 18th Mass, 9th
n. Y. N. G. (83d Vols.), and the 18th
Pa, and was the Third Brigade. Sec
ond Division, First Corps. Gen. Geo
L. Hartsuff commanded the brigade
| Gen. j. B. Ricketts, the division and
Maj.-Gen. Irwin Mcdowell the corps
| On the 22d Of July, 1862, our division
moved from Warrenton to Waterloo or
| the Luray pike, where the road inter.
sccts the Upper Rappahannock. Water
| loo was the site of an extensive wooler
mill, manufacturing large quantities OF
cloth for the Southern army. The es-
tablishment was destroyed by Gen
Banks, because the proprietor, who
claimed to be an English subject, in
sisted upon prosecuting his contraband
trade. The bare and crumbling wall:
Of the mill alone remained.
While stationed here the time was
| chiefly employed in brigade drill and
picket duty Our camp was beautiful
ly located in a large meadow in close
proximity to springs of excellent colo
water.
On the night Of the 29th of July
Shedrow, a member of Co. G, 11th Pa.
died in the brigade hospital. On the
following day preparations were made
for sending the sick to the rear, in view
Of the. speedy opening of an active
campaign. A heavy force of the. ene-
my was then approaching the Rapidan
evidently with the intention of striking
rope 3 ADVANCE Dc1Ore re1n1OrCements
could reach us from McClellan's army
already leaving the Peninsula from
Harrison's Landing.
The Army OF Virginia.
Gen. Pope was appointed to the COM
mand of the Army of Virginia, July
%, 1862. This army was a consolida-
ton of the forces under Gems. Fremont
Banks and Mcdowell, and numbered
altogether $4,000 men of all arms.
On the 29th Of July Gen. Pope left
Washington and proceeded to the front
On the list of August he announced a
grand review of all the troops under
his command. In accordance Herewith
the forces were in position at an early
hour on the day appointed, and were
inspected by their new commander
whose personal presence unmistakably
indicated active work.
Gen. Pope's appearance was COM
manding. Compactly built, approach
ing corpulency, his whole makeup in
dicated vigor and vitality. Tenacity OF
purpose, combined with decision and
cOmbativeness, were discernible in every
feature of his bronzed visage, while an
ambitious expression was revealed in
the steady gleam Of his dark, earnest
eyes. A graduate of West Point and a
veteran of the Mexican War, he had
been brevetted for gallant services at
Monterey and Buena Vista. He had