126 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



utterly impossible to fill it until new troops could be 

 enlisted and organized, which would require several 

 weeks. To keep your army in its present position 

 until it could be so reinforced would almost destroy it 

 in that climate. The months of August and September 

 are almost fatal to whites who live 011 that part of 

 James river, and even after you got the reinforcements 

 asked for, you admitted that you must reduce Fort 

 Darling and the river batteries before you could ad- 

 vance on Richmond. It is by no means certain that 

 the reduction of these fortifications would not require 

 considerable time, perhaps as much as those at York- 



exposed 



without the slightest hope of assistance from you. 



In regard to the demoralizing effect of a withdrawal 

 from the peninsula to the Rappahannock, I must re- 

 mark that a large number of your highest officers 

 indeed a majority of those whose opinions have been 

 reported to me are decidedly in favor of the move- 

 ment. Even several of those who originally advocated 

 the line of the peninsula now advise its abandonment. 

 I have not inquired, and do not desire to know, by 

 whose advice or for what reason the Army of the 

 Potomac was separated into two parts, with the enemy 

 before them. I must take things as I find them. I 

 find our forces divided, and I wish to unite them. 

 Only one feasible plan has been presented for doing 

 this. If you or any one else had presented a better 

 one, I certainly should have adopted it; but all of your 

 plans require reinforcements which it is impossible to 



five you. It is very easy to ask for reinforcements, 

 ut it is not so easy to give them when you have no 

 disposable troops at your command. I have written 

 very plainly, as I understand the case, and I hope you 

 will give me credit for having carefully considered the 

 matter, although I may have arrived at different con- ' 

 elusions from your own. Very respectfully, your 

 obedient servant, 



H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief. 

 (Official Copy.) J. C. KELTON, Assistant Adj. -Gen. 



Thus the campaign was closed. The once proud 

 Array of the Potomac was withdrawn from the 

 peninsula to Aquia Creek and Alexandria, and its 

 corps were immediately ordered into the field to 

 reenforce the army of Gen. Pope southeast of 

 "Washington, and to act under his command. 



By an order of the President on the 27th of 

 June, Maj.-Gen. Pope, who had been in com- 

 mand of a force in the "West, entered upon the 

 chief command of the army of Virginia. 



The following is the order of the President 

 creating the Army of Virginia, and putting Gen. 

 Pope in command, dated June 27, 1862 : 



I. The forces under Maj.-Gens. Fremont, Banks, and 

 McDowell, including the troops now under Brig.-Gen. 

 Sturgis, at Washington, shall be consolidated and form 

 one army, to be called the Army of Virginia. 



II. The command of the Army of Virginia is special- 

 ly assigned to Maj.-Gen. John Pope as Commanding 

 General. 



The troops of the Mountain Department, heretofore 

 under command of Gen. Fremont, shall constitute the 

 first army corps, under the command of Gen. Fremont. 



The troops of the Shenandoah Departn-ent, now un- 

 der Gen. Banks, shall constitute the second army corps, 

 and be commanded by him. 



The troops under the command of Gen. McDowell, 

 except those within the fortifications and the city of 

 Washington, shall form the third army corps, and be 

 under his command. 



The creation of the several separate and in- 

 dependent commands which constituted the 

 forces west and southwest of "Washington had 

 always been looked upon with distrust. Hence 



the consolidation of these forces under one com- 

 mander was regarded with much satisfaction by 

 the public, as a wise and prudent measure. 



The appointment of Gen. Pope to the chief 

 command was not favorably received by Maj.- 

 Gen. Fremont. Consequently the following or- 

 der was issued from the "War Department : 



"WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, June 27, 1862. 



Maj.-Gen. John C. Fremont, having asked to be re- 

 lieved from command of the First Army Corps of the 

 Army of Virginia, because, as he says, the position as- 

 signed him by the appointment of Maj.-Gen. Pope as 

 commander-in-cbief of the Army of Virginia is sub- 

 ordinate and inferior to those heretofore held by him, 

 and to remain in the subordinate command now as- 

 signed him would, as he says, largely reduce his rank 

 and consideration in the service 



It is ordered by the President that Maj.-Gen. John 

 C. Fremont be relieved from command. 



Second, that Gen. Rufus King be and he is hereby ' 

 assigned to the command of the First Army Corps of 

 the Army of Virginia, in place of Gen. Fremont, re- 

 lieved by order of the President. 



EDWARD M. STAN TON, Secretary of War. 



On the next day Gen. Fremont issued an or- 

 der declaring his resignation of the command 

 of his forces and assigning it to Brig.-Gen. 

 Schenck. The ground upon which the resigna- 

 tion of Gen. Fremont was made, was under- 

 stood to be that Gen. Pope, who had been ap- 

 pointed- to the command of the army of Vir- 

 ginia, was his inferior in rank, and he could not 

 consistently command a corps under him. Gen. 

 Schenck, on assuming command, issued the fol- 

 lowing order : 



Brig.-Gen. Schenck, in assuming the new position to 

 which the General commanding has done him the hon- 

 or thus to assign him, desires to express his great satis- 

 faction that it will only somewhat change his relation 

 to the troops which have heretofore been under his 

 command, but without separating him from them. 

 He takes this occasion to say to the officers and men 

 with whom he has been connected, that he congratu- 

 lates himself on having those who have so commended 

 themselves by their discipline, obedience, and general 

 good conduct, still left in his division. He regrets for 

 similar reasons to part with Capt. Rigby, his officers 

 and men ; and he confidently hopes, as to the troops 

 whose accession to the brigade will extend his com- 

 mand, that the relation between himself and them, as 

 well as with all his old companions, will continue to 

 be mutually agreeable and advantageous. 



By order of Brig.-Gen. SCHENCK. 



DOXN PIATT, Captain and A. A.-G. 



At night of the same day he learned that 

 Gen. Rufus King had been ordered to the com- 

 mand of that corps, and sent in his request 

 to be relieved of command in that portion, of 

 the army. But on the subsequent day, still 

 further learning that Gen. King had been de- 

 tached and Gen. Sigel ordered to the same 

 command, he withdrew his resignation. 



Meantime Maj.-Gen. Pope was making his 

 arrangements to take the field. On the 14th 

 of July he issued the following address to his 

 army: 



To the Officers and Soldiers of the Army of Virginia : 

 By special assignment of the President I have as- 

 sumed 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 a position from which you can act 



