GENERAL POPE'S COMMAND.

531

sition of General Pope's army when the Seven Days' Battles were fought, and General McClellan retreated to James river. The question then arose, how, under this altered condition of affairs, the two armies should render each other any assistance. To solve this, and other problems, General Halleck was called from the Army of the West to assume the duties of General-in-chief, previously discharged by Scott and McClellan. He arrived at the capital, and entered upon the duties of this important office, on the 23d of July.

General Pope, in the interim, had signalized his command by the issue of several important orders, which were much commented on. On the 14th, he thus addressed the officers and soldiers of the army of Virginia: "By special assignment of the President of the United States, I have assumed command of this army. I have spent two weeks in learning your whereabouts, your condition, and your wants; in preparing you for active operations, and in placing you in positions from which you can act promptly and to the purpose. I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemiesfrom an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary, and to beat him when found-whose policy has been at

about 5,000, was mostly badly mounted and armed, and in poor condition for service.* The forces were widely scattered, and a portion of them, including, particularly, the new troops of Fremont's, now General Sigel's division, in a condition far from effective. The corps of Banks and Fremont were located in the valley of the Shenandoah at Winchester, and mostly above at Middletown. McDowell's command was divided between Manassas Junction on the Orange and Alexandria railway, and the left bank of the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg. It was the wish of the government, as General Pope tells us, "that he should cover the city of Washington from any attack from the direction of Richmond, make such dispositions as were necessary to assure the safety of the valley of the Shenandoah, and at the same time to so operate upon the enemy's lines of communication in the direction of Gordonsville and Charlottesville as to draw off, if possible, a considerable force of the enemy from Richmond, and thus relieve the operations against that city of the army of the Potomac." The enemy being now out of the way hastening to the defence of Richmond, General Pope was at liberty to station the troops at his disposal as he might think best for the next campaign. Concentration was his first object, and he chose for this pur-tack, and not defence. In but one inpose the central position east of the Blue Ridge, and south of the Bull Run mountains, whence, if the enemy again descended the valley of the Shenandoah, he could readily move to interpose between their advance and main army, and cut off the retreat. He accordingly brought the corps of Sigel and Banks to the east of the Blue Ridge, to Sperryville and its vicinity, while Ricketts' division, of McDowell's corps, was ordered within easy coöperating distance, to Waterloo Bridge, on the north fork of the Rappahannock. Such was the dispo

* Official report of General Pope, of his campaign. January 27, 1863.

stance has the enemy been able to place our western armies in a defensive attitude. I presume that I have been called here to pursue the same system, and to lead you against the enemy. It is my purpose to do so, and that speedily. I am sure you long for an opportunity to win the distinction you are capable of achieving. That opportunity I shall endeavor to give you. Meantime, I desire you to dismiss from your minds certain phrases which I am sorry to find much in vogue amongst you. I hear constantly of taking strong positions and holding them of lines of retreat, and of bases of supplies. Let us discard such ideas. The

Another order was directed against the irregular guerrilla warfare, which, throughout the war, as the Union army advanced, had been so annoying to its progress. The people of the valley of the Shenandoah, and throughout the region of operations of the army, living along the lines of railroad and telegraph, and along the routes of travel in the rear of the United States forces, were notified that they would be held responsible for any injury done the track, line or road, or for any attacks upon trains of straggling soldiers by bands of guerrillas in their neighborhood. If such injuries were committed, it was ordered that the citizens living within five miles of the spot, should be turned out en masse, to repair the damage, and be, moreover, required to pay to the United States, in money or in property, to be levied by military force, the full amount of the pay and subsistence of the whole force necessary to coerce the performance of the work during the time occupied in completing it." If a soldier, or legitimate follower of the army, were fired upon from any house, the house was to be razed to the ground, and the inhabitants sent prisoners to the headquarters of the army. If such an outrage occurred at any place distant from settlements the people within five miles round were to be held accountable, and pay a sufficient indemnity. Any person detected in such outrages, either during the act, or at any time afterwards, it was ordered, shall be shot without waiting civil process. These orders appeared stringent, but when we reflect upon the crime against which they were leveled, simply murder within our lines, they could not be considered unnecessarily severe. They were, indeed, a guaranty for the safety of non-combatants, whose welfare lay in submission, and the consequent protection of the army in possession.

strongest position a soldier should desire to occupy is one from which he can most easily advance against the enemy. Let us study the probable lines of retreat of our opponents, and leave our own to take care of themselves. Let us look before, and not behind. Success and glory are in the advance. Disaster and shame lurk in the rear. Let us act on this understanding; and it is safe to predict that your banners shall be inscribed with many a glorious deed, and that your names will be dear to your countrymen forever." Several orders, dated July 18, indicated the practice, he would pursue toward the enemy in the conduct of the war. "Hereafter, as far as practicable," it was directed, "the troops of this command will subsist upon the country in which their operations are carried on. In all cases supplies for this purpose will be taken by the officers to whose department they properly belong, under the orders of the commanding officers of the troops for whose use they are intended. Vouchers will be given to the owners, stating on their face that they will be payable at the conclusion of the war upon sufficient testimony being furnished that such owners have been loyal citizens of the United States since the date of the vouchers. Whenever it is known that supplies can be furnished in any district of the country where the troops are to operate, the use of trains for carrying subsistence will be dispensed with as far as possible." This order, as General Pope tells us, was construed greatly to his discredit, as authorizing indiscriminate robbery and plunder. It admitted, however, he urges, no such interpretation. It was specific, carefully guarded, in concurrence with the usages of war; while its policy was unquestionable. Indeed, he adds, "the long delay and embarrassment of the army under Gen. Lee, in its subsequent movements towards Washington, occasioned, largely, by the In addition to the order just recited, want of supplies taken from the country un- General Pope, on the 23d, ordered comder this order, fully justified its wisdom."manders of army corps, divisions, bri

THREATS OF RETALIATION.

533

gades, and detached commands, to pro- an intention on the part of some of the ceed immediately to arrest all disloyal military authorities of the United States, male citizens within their lines, or within "not content with the unjust and aggrestheir reach, in rear of their respective sive warfare hitherto waged with savage stations. Such as were willing to take cruelty against an unoffending people, the oath of allegiance to the United and exasperated by the failure of their States, and would furnish sufficient secu- efforts to subjugate them, to violate all rity for its observance, were to be per- the rules and usages of war, and to conmitted to remain at their homes, and vert the hostilities hitherto waged against pursue, in good faith, their accustomed armed forces, into a campaign of robbery avocations. Those who refused were to and murder against innocent citizens and be conducted South, beyond the extreme peaceful tillers of the soil." It was therepickets of the army, and notified, that if fore declared that Major-General Pope, found anywhere again within our lines, Brigadier-General Steinwehr, and all or at any point in rear, they would be commissioned officers serving under considered spies, and subjected to the them, were not to be considered as solextreme rigor of military law. Any per-diers, and should be denied the benefit son who, having taken the oath of alle- of the cartel for the general exchange of giance, was found to violate it, was to be prisoners, which had recently, on the shot, and his property seized and applied 22d of July, been signed by General to the public use. These orders of Gen-Dix on the part of the United States, and eral Pope present pretty clearly the con- General D. H. Hill on the part of the tinued elements of disloyalty in the Confederacy. In the event of their capnorthern and eastern portions of Vir- ture, they were to be held in close conginia, already once and again occupied finement as long as the obnoxious orders by the Union armies, and under Federal continued in force, or unrepealed, and authority. As a matter of course, they "that in the event of the murder of any awakened the bitter resentment of the unarmed citizen or inhabitant of this eneiny. A correspondence on the sub- Confederacy, by virtue, or under the ject of the alleged arrest of persons pretext of any of the orders, whether claimed to be Confederate citizens, and with or without trial, whether under the other grievances of General Pope's or- pretence of such citizen being a spy or a ders, coupled with complaints of General hostage, or any other pretence, it shall Butler, General Phelps, and others, be the duty of the commanding general was opened by General Lee with of the forces of this Confederacy, to cause General Halleck, and retaliatory mea- immediately to be hung, out of the comsures were threatened. In a Confederate missioned officers thus imprisoned, a numgeneral order, dated August 1st, General ber equal to the number of our own Pope's order of the 23d of July was re- citizens thus murdered by the enemy." cited, together with a previous one issued This order was communicated by Genby Brigadier-General Steinwehr, of his eral Lee to General Halleck, who briefly army, ordering the arrest of five promi- replied: "As these papers are couched nent citizens of Page county," to be held in language exceedingly insulting to the as hostages, and to suffer death, in the government of the United States, I must event of any of the soldiers of said Stein- respectfully decline to receive them." wehr being shot by bushwhackers, by Captured officers were, meanwhile, subwhich term are meant the citizens of this jected to more rigorous imprisonment. Confederacy who have taken up arms to defend their lives and families." These orders were pronounced evidence of

Immediately on entering upon his new command, General Halleck visited the army of General McClellan at Har

rison's Landing, to ascertain the feasibility of an advance upon Richmond from that place, with the alternative in view of a junction of the two armies in Virginia upon some other line. He found General McClellan still in favor of the former, but demanding for the operation fifty thousand additional troops. As not more than twenty thousand could be spared without leaving Washington and Baltimore almost defenceless, General Halleck, notwithstanding the protest of General McClellan, decided to withdraw the army of the Potomac, as it continued to be called, from the James river to the line of the Rappahannock, where it could join that of General Pope, and at once protect the capital and operate against the enemy. On the 1st of August General Burnside was ordered to embark his troops from Newport News for Acquia creek, where he arrived on the 3d, the same day on which General McClellan was ordered to bring his entire army to the same point. The evacuation, however, of Harrison's Landing was not commenced till the 14th. To strengthen the command of General Pope, a portion of the force in Western Virginia, under General Cox, was called to the Potomac, which left the line of the Kanawha open to invasion by the enemy, who, for a time, had possession of the salt works in the region.

on the left. Such was the position of the army, when, on the 7th of August, it was confronted by the advance of the enemy under Jackson and Ewell. The incidents which followed, culminating on the 9th, in the battle of Cedar Mountain, are thus related in the official report of General Pope: "On Wednesday morning, the 7th," says he, "the enemy crossed the Rapidan, at Barnett's Ford, in heavy force, and advanced strong on the road to Culpeper and Madison Court House. I had established my whole force on the turnpike between Culpeper and Sperryville, ready to concentrate at either place, as soon as the enemy's plans were developed. Early on Friday it became apparent that the move on Madison Court House was merely a feint to detain the army corps of General Sigel at Sperryville, and that the main attack of the enemy would be at Culpeper, to which place I had thrown forward part of Banks' and McDowell's corps. BrigadierGeneral Bayard, with part of the rear of McDowell's corps, who was in the advance, near the Rapidan, fell slowly back, delaying and embarrassing the enemy's advance as far as possible, and capturing some of his men. The forces of Banks and Sigel, and one of the divisions of McDowell's corps, were rapidly concen-. trated at Culpeper during Friday and Friday night, Banks' corps being pushed forward five miles south of Culpeper, with Ricketts' division of McDowell's corps three miles in his rear. The corps of General Sigel, which had marched all night, was halted in Culpeper to rest for a few hours. On Saturday the enemy advanced rapidly to Cedar Mountain, the sides of which they occupied in heavy force. Gen. Banks was instructed to take

In the meantime, with the view of facilitating this movement of the army of the Potomac, and resisting any advance of the enemy toward Washington, General Pope took the field in person, and at once set on foot a series of active measures. The forces of Generals Banks and McDowell were pushed forward beyond the Rappahannock, and on the 7th of August, numbering about 28,000, were assembled along the turnpike from Sper-up his position on the ground occupied ryville to Culpeper. Gen. Buford's cavalry, five regiments, covering the front, was advanced to Madison Court House, with his pickets along the Rapidan on the right, and General Bayard's cavalry, four regiments, was extended on the same river

by Crawford's brigade, of his command, which had been thrown out the day previous to watch the enemy's movements. He was directed not to advance beyond that point, and, if attacked by the enemy, to defend his position, and send back