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Early August, Lee determined that McClellan's army was being withdrawn from the Peninsula to reinforce John Pope. He sent Longstreet from Richmond to join Jackson's wing of the army near Gordonsville and arrived to take command himself on August 15. August 20-21, Pope withdrew to the line of the Rappahannock River. On August 23, Stuart's cavalry made a daring raid on Pope's headquarters at Catlett Station, showing that the Union right flank was vulnerable to a turning movement. Over the next several days, August 22-25, the two armies fought a series of minor actions along the Rappahannock River, including Waterloo Bridge, Lee Springs, Freeman's Ford, and Sulphur Springs, resulting in a few hundred casualties. Together, these skirmishes primed Pope's army along the river, while Jackson's wing marched via Thoroughfare Gap to capture Bristoe Station and destroy Federal supplies at Manassas Junction, far in the rear of Pope's army. Result(s): Inconclusive Other Names: Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs, Freeman's Ford Location: Culpeper County and Fauquier County Campaign: Northern Virginia Campaign (June-September 1862) next battle in campaign previous battle in campaign Date(s): August 22-25, 1862 Principal Commanders: Major General John Pope [US]; Major General Thomas J. Jackson [CS] Forces Engaged: Brigades Estimated Casualties: 225 total |
The Civil War Papers Of George B. Mcclellan: Selected Correspondence, 1860-1865
General-in-chief of the entire Union army at one point, he led the Army of the Potomac through the disaster at Antietam Creek, was subsequently dismissed by Lincoln, and then ran against him in the 1864 presidential campaign. This collection of McClellan's candid letters about himself, his motivations, and his intentions
