Battle of the Second Bull Run
Battle Background:
After compelling Union Gen. George B. McClellan to withdraw from the outskirts of Richmond to Harrison’s Landing on the lower James River, Gen. Robert E. Lee turned his attention to the threat posed by the newly formed Union Army of Virginia, under the command of Gen. John Pope. The Lincoln administration had chosen Pope to lead the reorganized forces in northern Virginia with the dual task of shielding Washington and operating northwest of Richmond to take pressure off McClellan’s army. To counter Pope’s movement into central Virginia, Lee sent Gen. T. J. “Stonewall” Jackson to Gordonsville on July 13. Jackson’s force crossed the Rapidan River and clashed with the vanguard of Pope’s army at Cedar Mountain, south of Culpeper, on August 9. Jackson’s narrow tactical victory proved sufficient to instill caution in the Union high command.
Military Leadership:
For the Union the main General was John Pope. The other General was George McClellan He was a United States Army officer, John Pope was appointed on June 14, 1861 to brigadier general of volunteers by President Abraham Lincoln. In March of 1862 Pope was ordered to command the Army of Virginia by President Lincoln. In late August 1862 Pope met with Confederate General Robert E. Lee, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and General James Longstreet. The main General that led the Confederate’s initial attack was Robert E. Lee.
Plans and Objectives:
General John Pope ascertained Robert E. Lee’s plan to trap him
against the Rappahannock and withdraw to the north bank astride the railroad.
Lee, learning that two corps from the Army of the Potomac would join Pope
within days, to act quickly and boldly.
Execution:
On July 13 General Lee sent Jackson with forces eventually totaling 24,000 men to watch Pope. After an initial sparring action at Cedar Mountain on August 9, Jackson and Pope stood watching each other for nearly a week. Pope’s Army of Virginia was ordered to divert pressure from McClellan on the peninsula of Virginia. But General Jackson had left the valley, and Federal forces were scattered. On August 3 Halleck ordered General George McClellan to withdraw by water from the peninsula to Aquia Creek on the Potomac and to enact in a speedy junction at Fredericksburg with Pope. Meanwhile, Pope was to post the Army of Virginia along the Orange and Alexandria Railroads to the west of Fredericksburg.
Results:
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