Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-25

munications The main divisions OF
General Pope's army were at Cuipep-
er Court House and Fredericksburg
Culpeper Court House is about sew
enty miles from Washington and equal
ly distant from Richmond The route
crosses the Long bridge at Washing
ton, thence through Alexandria, Fair
fax. Manassas. WaTrenton. etc Fred
ericksburg is connected with wash
ington by steamboat navigation on the
Potomac to Aquin creek, thence by
railroad. fifteen miles, TO Frederlcks-
burg. which is sixty miles by railroad
from Richmond General Pope. al
though not personally in the field I'M
Ill the 2Tth of July. had been engaged
In concentrating his forces.
A show Of force had been kept up
in the Shenandoah valley and east OF
the Blue Ridge by the Confederate
government throughout the month OF
July, the period Of 'Stonewan" Jack
sons absence. chiefly for the purpose
Of preventing re-enforcements to Gen
eral Mcclellan. The knowledge which
it had OF the position and strength OF
the Federal forces east and west made
it manifest that no re-enfOrcements to
the Army OF the Potomac would come
from any other quarter than the re-
gion about Washington.
"Stonewalls Jackson's Role.
1t was resolved to abandon the de-
fensive policy at Richmond and to re-
peat the exploit which General Jack
son had performed by driving General
Banks out OF the Shenandoah valley in
May, on a scale of national magnitude
Rumors were afoat that Tennessee.
Kentucky and the whole OF Virginia
were to be recovered at once. Mary
land liberated from her oppression and
not only Washington and Baltimore
captured, but also Harrisburg and
Philadelphia In the east and Cincin-
natl in the west 1t was an audactous
enterprise for the people situated like
those in the Confederate states at
that time. Measures were Immediately
adopted for the execution of these
plans.
General Mcclellan was to be left to
retire from the peninsula without any
, further attacks than were necessary to
! cover their real designs. and their own
| forces were to be prepared for an i'm
mediate movement northward- The
| Confederate forces at this time were
/ greater than ever. Not fewer than
| 10000 men were at Richmond and In
| communication with It All this force.
| excepting a strong corps Of observa-
/ ton in the vicinity of Richmond. was
! to be precipitated at once upon Mary
| land.
The preparations to advance into
| Maryland which were making at Rich
mOnd were imme- lately known al
| Washington and awakened great anx'
| iety. An order was issued to General
J. D. Cox in western Virginia to send
his main forces with all possible dis
patch by railroad to join General Pope
on the Rappahannock. To facilitate
the withdrawal of the army from Har
rison's Landing and TO gain time also
by a demonstration against the enemy
General Pope was ordered TO push al
his forces across the Rappahannocl
and toward the Rapidan and thus
threaten Gordonsville GordOnsville IS
about twenty-five miles south of Cul
pepper and ten miles south of the Rap
idan.
AS above stated. "StonewaL'' Jack
son was already at Gordonsville, an(
in that vicinity the next clash Of arm:
in northern Virginia was to come. Or
the very day that Pope reached the
front at Culpeper Court House and as
sumed personal command of the new
combination OF troops General A. P
Hill started from Richmond with hi
division to REINFORCE Jackson wherevel
he should overtake him.
Other Events of the Week.