130 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



the main body of the enemy and the lower 

 fords of the Rappahannock. He accordingly 

 immediately ordered Brig.-Gen. Crawford to 

 march to Gen. Bayard with his brigade, which 

 consisted of the 28th New York, 10th Maine, 

 46th Pennsylvania, 25th Connecticut, with ten 

 pieces of artillery. He proceeded rapidly to 

 the front, and occupied a position about seven 

 miles from Culpepper, immediately in rear of 

 the line of Gen. Bayard's cavalry. Soon after, 

 Gen. Pope ordered the remainder of Gen. 

 Banks's corps to move rapidly from Hazel River 

 bridge, nine miles from Culpepper, where it 

 was the night before, to the scene of expected 

 conflict. By eight o'clock that night, the head 

 of Gen. Banks's column was descried marching 

 around the village to its destination, which it 

 reached before midnight. That point was im- 

 mediately in the rear of Gen. Crawford. Gen. 

 Sigel was at the same time ordered up from 

 Sperryville by a forced march of twenty 

 miles, his advance reaching Culpepper late in 

 the afternoon, where it was halted. 



Throughout Friday night and Saturday fore- 

 noon, skirmishing was continued between Gen. 

 Bayard's cavalry and the advance of the enemy, 

 until the latter had advanced within long 

 range of Gen. Crawford's artillery. The enemy 

 soon developed a strong force, and occupied 

 both sides of Cedar Mountain, a sugar-loaf emi- 

 nence situated two miles west of the Orange and 

 Alexandria railroad at Mitchell's Station. The 

 artillery of the enemy opened early in the af- 

 ternoon of Saturday, but he made no advance 

 until near five o'clock, at which time a few 

 skirmishers were thrown forward on each side 

 under cover of a heavy wood, in which his 

 force was concealed. A strong force was push- 

 ed forward in the rear of the skirmishers, and 

 Gen. Banks advanced to the attack. The en- 

 gagement did not fairly open until after six 

 o'clock p. M., but for an hour and a half was 

 furious and unceasing. The report of Gen. 

 Banks to Gen. Pope had expressed the opinion 

 that no action was imminent that afternoon, and 

 it was not until after it was fully commenced 

 that the latter ordered Gen. McDowell to ad- 

 vance Gen. Ricketts's division to the support 

 of Gen. Banks, and also Gen. Sigel to bring his 

 men on the ground as soon as possible. At 7 

 p. M., when Gen. Pope arrived, the action was 

 raging fiercely, but Gen. Banks held the posi- 

 tion he took early in the morning. During the 

 action he had fallen back about one mile from 

 the spot where it first commenced, but without 

 any disorder or confusion. The enemy were 

 evidently pressing close, and the artillery was 

 firing at short range. The division of Gen. 

 Eiokettfl pushed forward and occupied the right 

 of Gen. Banks, taking the place of his right wing, 

 which was ordered to mass upon the centre. 

 Before this change could be effected it was quite 

 dark, and the musketry firing ceased, but the ar- 

 tillery kept up an intermittent firing until near 

 midnight. The Federal troops rested on their 

 arms during the night in line of battle. At day- 



light the next morning the enemy fell back two 

 miles, and still higher up the mountain, and the 

 pickets of Gen. Pope advanced and occupied 

 the ground. The army rested during the day. 

 Monday was spent in burying the dead and in 

 getting off the wounded, and during the night 

 the enemy disappeared, leaving many of his 

 dead unburied and his wounded on the ground. 

 The slaughter on both sides was severe ; much 

 of the fighting having been hand to hand. A 

 cavalry and artillery force under Gens. Buford 

 and Bayard was thrown forward in pursuit, and 

 followed the enemy to the Rapidan, over which 

 his rear guard passed about ten o'clock on Tues- 

 day morning. The Federal loss was fifteen hun- 

 dred killed, wounded, and missing, of whom 

 near three hundred were taken prisoners. Gen. 

 Pope also lost two Napoleon guns, fifteen hun- 

 dred muskets, and considerable ammunition. 

 The Confederate loss was severe, among whom 

 were Gens. Winder and Trimble. The battle 

 commenced with the advance of Gen. Ewell, 

 consisting of ten thousand men, who were re- 

 enforced by Gen. Jackson with five thousand 

 more, and the balance of his command got into 

 position early in the night. 



On the Federal side the contest was main- 

 tained entirely by the command of Gen. Banks, 

 and was conducted with great skill and bra- 

 very. The object of this attack on the part of 

 Gen. Lee was undoubtedly to feel the strength 

 and temper of Gen. Pope's army. His forces 

 retired across the river, a few miles toward 

 Gordonsville, to await the approach of the 

 main army, while Gen. Pope pushed forward 

 his whole force in the direction of the Rapidan, 

 where he occupied a strong position, extending 

 from Robertson's Rise on the right to near 

 Racoon Ford on the left. 



On the 16th a party of Confederate cavalry 

 were surprised and captured at Louisa Court 

 House. Upon them were found important 

 despatches, including an autograph letter from 

 Gen. Lee, which informed the Federal Gov- 

 ernment that Gen. Lee was moving by forced 

 marches the main body of the Confederate 

 army to attack Gen. Pope before a junction 

 could be formed between him and the Army of 

 the Potomac. Thus their plan was to throw 

 overwhelming forces upon him, cut oif his 

 rear, and annihilate, if possible, his entire 

 army. In consequence of this reliable infor- 

 mation, Gen. Halleck, the general-iii-chief, on 

 the 17th ordered Gen. Pope not to cross the 

 Rapidan, but advised him to take a position in 

 rear of the North Fork, where he could be more 

 easily reenforced. This movement was com- 

 menced by Gen. Pope on the 18th, and during 

 the 19th the main body of his forces was behind 

 that river, and prepared to hold its passes. 



Ten miles above Fredericksburg the Rap- 

 pahannock river receives the two tributa- 

 ries which form it. The southern stream is 

 called the Rapidan, the northern one is 

 called the North Fork. This latter is the 

 stream behind which Gen. Pope was advised to 



