New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-16
March on Pope's Rear Fooled
That General Mcdowell
Got Lost and Fitz John
Porter Hung Back.

I'LL RUN and the fields of Manassas
were fateful 10 the Northern arms
IL In the Civil War. Twice the union
and Confederate armies faced each other
there. and each time through fhlure Oh
nroper cooperation favorable condltlohs
for winning we're destroyed. In the nrst
hattie. on July q, 1851. through Generai
patterson's failure to hold johnston
army In the Shenandoah Valley Beaure-
gard had received achievements wmch
robbed General Mcdowell OF an oppor-
tunjty TO win. On that field jackson
earned his sobriquet Of "Stonewall.
On August q and so. 1862 the armies OF
General John Pope. the hero Of Island NO.
10. and General Robert f. Lee, whereoI
corps under Generals McDowel ana
"Stonewall" jackson formed parts faceu
zach other on almost the same ground as
that occupied the year previous Again
Jackson stood like a stonewall; again Con-
federate achievements came through the
gap in the Bull Run Mountains ana asaih
there was lack Of expected cooperation
among the Union forces. The parallel goes
even further. Fear for the safety of WASH
inston succeeded the battle, and the de-
feat was followed almost as promptly as
had been the case the year previously IN
the elevation Of Mcclellan a second time 10
high command. The second battle was iu'i
Of "mght-have-beens."
The summer Of 1862 following the retreat
Of Mcclellan from Richmond was an In
active one for the Union armies, with the
exception Of that under Pope. While the
Seven Days struggle was In progress
around Richmond General Pope, by IN
vitation, was discussing with President
Lincoln and others the advisability Of his
taking command Of the various armies IN
Virginia north Of the Confederate capital
These included the forces under Generals
Mcdowell, Fremont and Banks. He hnaliy
agreed TO undertake the command OF the
Army OF Virginia, as the combined force
was 10 be called. Fremont. not wishing 10
serve under him, was succeeded by Cen
eral Franz Sgel. In the meantime Geh-
sral Halleck had been invited 70 Washlne-
ton also and appointed commander III
chief. President Lincoln and he visited
Mcclellan at Harrison's Landing. II was
finally decided that General Mcclellan ana
his army following its disastrous CAM
peign, should return to the Potomac below
washington General Pope's duties were
10 be those of diverting the attention OF
General Lee while Mcclellan moved out
Later the two armies were TO be united.
The first thing Pope did was to bring his
forces together, and he ordered Generals
Banks and Sigel 10 move 10 Culpeper Court
House. The former reached there prompt
" shortly before midnight on August ;.
The latter missed the road and did not ar
rive at the rendezvous until the evening OF
the following day. In the meantime Banks
had marched south 10 Cedar Mountain,
where he met "Stonewall" Jackson with
larger force than his own and attacked
him with such energy that the latter, al
though the winner, decided to retire across
the Rapidan River when he heard that re-
Inducements for Banks had appeared.
General Lee, surmising that Mcclellan
was about TO leave the Peninsula deter
mined 10 move on Pcpe's army. lie or
dered forward Longstreet Jackson and
Stuart's cavalry, altogether ABOUT o4'VV
men. Fope. outnumbered, withdrew safely
10 the north side OF the Rappahannoch
River and established his army there. For
eight days he chung to the line OF thlS
river. breaking up several attempts OF the
. enemy to cross, in the hope, as HalecK'
the general in chief, expressed II, that
during this time sufficient forces from the
army Of the Potomac would reach Aqua
creek to enable us TO prevent any further
advance of Lee, and eventually, with the
combined armies, to drive him back upon
Richmond"
Lee, finding that he could not get through
Pope's line, decided 10 try swift flank
movement. He intrusted TO the adventur-
Gus jackson the task OF swinging around
Pope's right end and into his rear. II was
now August 25.. Although Mcclellan had
had orders 10 move his army back TO the
Potomac at the beginning Of the month, the
first reinforcements from the Army OF the
Potomac TO reach Pope had joined the lat
ter only two days before Jackson, unlike
Mcclellan, could get along without I'M
redimenta. Having learned, through per-
sonal digestive troubles. how 10 be alb
stemious he expected his soldiers 10 be so
also. and when he left Lees army on that
August morning TO begin his audacious
march q three days supply OF ratons was
all that his men possessed, slowed away
IN their haversacks and pockets. The en-
tire camp equipage consisted OF tin cans
and an occasional frying pan. and there
were only a few ambulanccs and guns in
the wagon train.
The air was balmy and a refreshing
b-eeze svept down from the Blue Noun
---------------------- -