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Chapter 34: campaign against Pope.—Second Manassas.—Sharpsburg.—Fredericksburg.
Although defeated, the army under
General McClellan was still a formidable force, and might at any time threaten
Richmond.
His camp at
Westover was protected by his gun-boats, and the hills had been fortified to resist the Confederate forces.
General Lee, under the idea that a demonstration upon
Washington would force Mc-Clellan's withdrawal for its protection, early in August, sent
General Jackson in advance, to engage
General Pope, who commanded a new army in
Northern Virginia.
Immediately upon receiving information of this move,
McClellan began to transfer troops to
Washington, and
Lee moved with the rest of his army to join
General Jackson.
After several engagements the enemy was forced to withdraw, and the next morning
Longstreet resumed his march to join
Jackson.
1
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Much desultory fighting took place on August 29th; but on the 30th the enemy made a determined attack on
Jackson's front, and
Longstreet ordered his whole line forward to the charge, and defeated
Pope's army.
The career of
General Pope was as brief, boastful, and disastrous, as those of
Generals Lee and
Jackson were brilliant, audacious, and successful.
Immediately after the battle of
Second Manassas, the army under
Lee crossed the
Potomac and entered
Maryland.
While at Frederick City
2 General Lee
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matured his plan of operations, and issued his order of battle.
Unfortunately for these plans of
Lee, the battle order addressed to
D. H. Hill was by some accident lost, and fell into the hands of
McClellan, thus disclosing to hini the movements of his adversary.
3 McClellan immediately pushed on to South Mountain Pass, where
D. H. Hill had been left to guard the rear, while
Jackson went to
Harper's
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Ferry and
Longstreet to
Hagerstown.
Hill made a heroic defence, but being outflanked, fell back toward
Sharpsburg during the niclht.
On the morning of September 15th,
General Lee stood at bay at
Sharpsburg, with bare-1y 18,000 men, and confronted
McClellan's whole army along
Antietam Creek.
Colonel Walter Taylor, in his “Four years with
Lee,” says:
The fighting was heaviest and most continuous on the Confederate left.
It is established upon indisputable Federal evidence, that the three corps of Hooker, Mansfield, and Sumner were completely shattered in the repeated but fruitless efforts to turn this flank, and two of these corps were rendered useless.
“These corps numbered an aggregate of 40,000, while the
Confederates from first to last had but barely 14,000 men.”
The centre had been fiercely assailed, but was held by
Longstreet with
Miller's guns of the Washington Artillery,
4 and a thin gray
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line of infantry, some of whom stood with unloaded guns without ammunition, but waving their colors to give semblance of support.
This must be one of the severest tests to the bravery of troops, to stand as target without the means or the excitement of retaliating.
All honor to them.
The battle was fought against great odds, and to have resisted this mass of men shows of what stuff our soldiers were made.
All the next day
Lee remained on the battle-field, thinking
McClellan would again attack, but he, not being so minded, the Confederate army recrossed the
Potomac during the night into
Virginia.
Late in October, 1862,
General McClellan followed
Lee into
Virginia.
Here he was relieved and succeeded by
General Burnside.
On December 13th the
battle of Fredericksburg was fought.
