128 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



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, chiefly for the purpose of 

 preventing reinforcements to Gen. McClellan. 

 The knowledge which it had of the position 

 and strength of the Federal forces made it 

 manifest that no reinforcement to the Army 

 of the Potomac would come from any other 

 quarter. The departure of the division of Gen. 

 Burnside from Newport News, where it had 

 been for some weeks ready to cooperate with 

 Gen. McClellan in any forward movements 

 to Aquia Creek on the 1st of August, was 

 immediately known in Richmond. It showed 

 not only that no reenforcements were com- 

 ing to the Army of the Potomac, but also that 

 this army would soon evacuate the peninsula. 

 The star of their fortune now appeared to be in 

 the ascendant. The day, so long and anxiously 

 looked for, had come, in which they should be 

 able to take their great and powerful adversary 

 at a disadvantage, and demonstrate to civilized 

 nations their own military strength and ability 

 to win that independence which they had pro- 

 claimed. Consultations were immediately held 

 at Richmond, and their purposes were soon 

 formed. It was resolved to abandon the 

 defensive policy and to repeat the exploit 

 which Gen. Jackson had performed by driving 

 Gen. Banks out of the Shenandoah Valley, on 

 a scale of national magnitude. Rumors were 

 set afloat that Tennessee, Kentucky, and the 

 whole of Virginia were to be recovered at 

 once ; Maryland liberated from her oppression, 

 and not only "Washington and Baltimore cap- 

 tured, but also Harrisburg and Philadelphia 

 in the east, and Cincinnati in the west. It was 

 a magnificent enterprise for a people situated 

 like those in the Confederate States at that 

 time. Measures were immediately adopted for 

 the execution of these plans. Gen. McClellan 

 was to be left to retire from the peninsula with- 

 out any further attacks than were necessary to 

 cover their real designs, and their forces were 

 to bo prepared for an immediate movement 

 northward. The Confederate forces at this 

 time were greater than ever before. Not less 

 than one hundred and fifty thousand men were 

 at Richmond and in communication with it. 

 All this force, excepting a strong corps of ob- 

 servation, was to be precipitated at once upon 

 Maryland. 



The preparations to advance into Maryland 

 which were making at Richmond, were imme- 

 diately known at Washington and awakened 

 great anxiety. An order was issued to Gen. 

 Cox in western Virginia to send his main 

 forces, with all possible despatch,^>y railroad to 

 join Gen. Pope. To facilitate the withdrawal 

 of the army from Harrison's Landing, as stated 

 by Gen. Halleck, and to gain time also by a 

 demonstration against the enemy, Gen. Pope 

 was ordered to push his forces across the Rap- 

 pahannock, and occupy Culpepper and threaten 

 Gordons ville. At the same time President Lin- 



coln issued the following order, calling out an 

 additional three hundred thousand men to 

 serve for nine months : 



WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, August 4, 1862. 



Ordered First That a draft of three hundred thou- 

 sand militia be immediately called into the service of 

 the United States, to service for nine months, unless 

 sooner discharged. The Secretary of War will assign 

 the quotas to the States, and establish regulations .for 

 the draft. 



Second That if any State shall not by the 15th of 

 August furnish its quota of the additional three hun- 

 dred thousand volunteers authorized by law, the de- 

 ficiency of volunteers in that State will also be made 

 up by a special draft from the militia. The Secretary 

 of \V'ar will establish regulations for this purpose. 



Third Regulations will be prepared t>y the War 

 Department, and presented to the President, with the 

 object of securing the promotion of officers of the army 

 and volunteers for meritorious and distinguished 

 services, and of preventing the nomination and appoint- 

 ment in the military service of incompetent or un- 

 worthy officers. The regulations will also provide for 

 ridding the service of such incompetent persons as 

 now hold commissions. 



By order of the PRESIDENT. 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 



The Confederate army began to move imme- 

 diately after the 1st of August, and the divisions 

 of Gens. Jackson, Ewell, and Hill were hurried 

 to the Rapidan river, which is the south fork 

 of the Rappahannock. On Friday, the 8th of 

 August, Gen. Pope reached Culpepper Court 

 House, from his last encampment near Wash- 

 ington, the county seat of Rappahannock. At 

 the same time the corps of Gen. Banks was in 

 motion in the direction of Culpepper. The 

 corps of Gen. Sigel was encamped at Sperry ville, 

 twenty miles from Culpepper, and on the road 

 from Washington, Rappahannock county. At 

 Culpepper Court House was Brig.-Gen. Craw- 

 ford, with his brigade belonging to Gen. Banks's 

 corps, and Gen. Ricketts's division, belong- 

 ing to Gen. McDowell's corps. They had ar- 

 rived two days previous from Warrenton with 

 Gen. McDowell, who took command of all the 

 forces then at Culpepper. Gen. Bayard with 

 his cavalry had been guarding the fords of the 

 Rapidan from Racoon Ford to a point fourteen 

 miles below, and south of the railroad at Bur- 

 nett's Ford, where he connected with the caval- 

 ry of Gen. Buford. At noon on Friday he sent 

 information to Culpepper Court House that the 

 enemy had early that morning crossed the river 

 and driven in his pickets with such force that 

 he was obliged to retire before them. He was 

 retiring to the north and east side of Robertson's 

 river, about eight miles from Culpepper, there 

 to await a supporting force. The numbers of 

 the enemy he estimated at two regiments of in- 

 fantry, two pieces of light artillery, and three 

 small regiments of cavalry. Gen. Buford at 

 the same time reported the enemy to be ad- 

 vancing in heavy force upon Madison Court 

 House, thus leaving it in doubt whether the 

 movement was directed toward Culpepper or 

 Madison. Wishing to maintain the communica- 

 tion with Fredericksburg at all hazards, Gen. 

 Pope resolved to concentrate at Culpepper, in 

 order to keep his forces interposed between 



