ARMY OPERATIONS. 



165 



gaps of the Blue Ridge to Culpepper. The larger 

 part of his force had passed through, when the 

 gaps were taken and held by Gen. McClellan. 

 At the same time Gen. Sigel had advanced from 

 Washington, and lay near the Blue Ridge, cov- 

 ering at once Washington, observing the gaps 

 , to the Rappahannock, and protecting the rail- 

 road communication to that river. The bridge 

 at Rappahannock Station had already been 

 seized by the cavalry, under Gen. Bayard. The 

 available force of Gen. McClellan was about 

 one hundred and twenty thousand men ; that of 

 Geu. Lee consisted of about sixty thousand able 

 men at Culpepper and Gordonsville, and thirty 

 thousand in the Shenandoah Valley, near Stras- 

 burg. The distance from Warrenton to Gor- 

 donsville is about fifty miles, and from War- 

 renton to the Rapidan, thirty-five miles; from 

 Strasbnrg to Gordonsville, by Staunton and 

 Charlottesville, one hundred and thirty-five 

 miles ; and by the only other practicable route, 

 one northwest of Gordonsville, and perpendic- 

 ular to Gen. McClellan's line of advance, about 

 one hundred miles. In his position it was ne- 

 cessary for Gen. Lee to defend the line of the 

 Rapidan, or endeavor to effect a junction with 

 the force in the Shenandoah Valley, under 

 Gen. Jackson, or fall back upon Richmond, in 

 a country without a line of defence, with Gen. 

 McClellan close upon him, leaving Gen. Jack- 

 son to shift for himself. The defence of the 

 Rapidan was impracticable from the course 

 of the river from the Alexandria railroad to the 

 Blue Ridge. The efforts to join Gen. Jackson 

 would have uncovered Richmond, and the at- 

 tempt to fall back on Richmond would have at 

 least hazarded the demoralization of his army, 

 and enabled Gen. McClellan to turn the defen- 

 sible parts of the Rappahannock, and the line of 

 the North Anna. The appointment of Gen. 

 Burnside was followed by the organization of 

 a portion of the army into divisions, and a 

 movement to concentrate it at Fredericksburg. 

 On the 12th Gen. Burnside issued the following 

 address to the army : 



HEADMASTERS ARM? OF THE POTOMAC, 2fov. 10, 1S62. 



In accordance with General Orders, Xo. 1S2, issued 

 by the President of the United States, I hereby assume 

 command of the Army of the Potomac. Patriotism, 

 and the exercise of my every energy in the direction 

 of this army, aided by the full and hearty cooperation 

 of its officers and men, will, I hope, under the blessing 

 of God, insure its success. 



Having been a sharer of the privations, and a wit- 

 ness of the bravery of the old Army of the Potomac in 

 the Maryland campaign, and fully identified with them 

 in their feelings of respect and esteem for Gen. 

 McClellan, entertained through a long and most friend- 

 ly association with him, I feel that it is not as a stranger 

 I assume command. 



_ To the 9th army corps, so long and intimately asso- 

 ciated with me, I need say nothing. Our histories are 

 identical. With diffidence" for myself, but with a proud 

 confidence in the unswerving loyalty and determina- 

 tion of the gallant army now intrusted to my care, I 

 accept its control, with the steadfast assurance" that the 

 just cause must prevail. 



[Signed] A. E. BURNSIDE. 



Major-General Commanding. 



On the 12th the general-in-chief (Halleck) 



and Gen. Meigs proceeded from Washington 

 to the headquarters to confer with Gen. Burn- 

 side. On the same day the advance of the 

 army was across the Rappahannock and fifteen 

 miles south of Warrenton. On the 14th Gen. 

 Burnside issued the following order reorgan- 

 izing a portion of his army : 



HEADQUARTERS, ARMY OP THE POTOMAC, } 



WARRESTOX (VA.), JtoC. 14, 1SC2. f 



General Order, JVo. 15-1. 



First. The organization of a portion of this army in 

 three grand divisions is hereby announced. Tnese 

 grand divisions will be formed and commanded as 

 follows : 



The Second and Ninth Corps will form the right 



grand division, and will be. commanded by Maj.-Gen. 

 . V. Sumner. 



The First and Sixth Corps will form the left grand 

 division, and will be commanded by Maj.-Gen. W. B. 

 Franklin. 



' The Third and Fifth Corps will form the centre grand 

 division, and will be commanded by Maj.-Gen. Joseph, 

 Hooker. 



The Eleventh Corps, with such others as may here- 

 after be assigned to it, will constitute a reserve force, 

 under the command of Maj.-Gen. F. Sigel. 



Assignments of cavalry and further details will be 

 announced in future orders. 

 By command of Maj.-Gen. BURNSIDE. 



S. WILLIAMS, A, A.-G. 



A movement was made at this time by Gen. 

 Jackson for the purpose of detaching a portion 

 of the army of the Potomac. He occupied all 

 the roads west and north of Winchester as far 

 as Big Cacapon Bridge on the northwestern 

 turnpike, and from Pughtown to Bath and 

 Hancock. He was thus looking westward, at 

 the same tune he was in a position to cross the 

 Potomac. His movement failed to effect his 

 design. 



Meanwhile the mass of Gen. Lee's forces re- 

 tired to Gordonsville. On the 16th the forces 

 of Gen. Burnside began to move for Fredericks- 

 burg, as had been previously determined in 

 consultation on the 12th between Gens. Hal- 

 leck and Burnside. On the loth the evacuation 

 of Warrenton and the adjacent places was com- 

 menced, and by the morning of the 18th it was 

 entirely completed. The advance was led by 

 Gen. Sumner. At the same time supplies were 

 sent to Aquia Creek, and the repairs of the 

 railroad track to Fredericksburg commenced, 

 and the army concentrated at Falmouth oppo- 

 site Fredericksburg. 



The march to Richmond, it appeared, was 

 to be made by the route from Fredericksburg. 

 This city is on the south bank of the Rappa- 

 hannock, and sixty-five miles distant from Rich- 

 mond. It is connected with the latter place by 

 a railroad, of which there is a double line 

 nearly to Hanover Junction, twenty-three miles 

 from Richmond. The railroad crosses the Mat- 

 tapony river at Milford, thirty-seven miles from 

 Fredericksburg, and the Pamunkey, twenty- 

 five miles from Richmond, besides a number 

 of smaller streams. Between Falmouth, where 

 the Federal army concentrated, and Richmond 

 there are two main and two minor lines of de- 



