BATTLE AT CEDAR MOUNTAIN. timely notice. It was my desire to have time to give the corps of General Sigel all the rest possible after their forced march, and to bring forward all the forces at my disposal. The artillery of the enemy was opened early in the afternoon, but he made no advance until nearly five o'clock, at which time a few skirmishers were thrown forward on each side, under cover of the heavy wood in which his force was concealed. The enemy pushed forward a strong force in the rear of his skirmishers, and General Banks advanced to the attack. The engagement did not fairly open until after six o'clock, but, for an hour and a half was furious and unceasing. Throughout the cannonading, which, at first, was desultory, and directed mainly against the cavalry, I had continued to receive reports from General Banks that no attack was apprehended, and that no considerable infantry force of the enemy had come forward. Yet, towards evening, the increase in the artillery firing having satisfied me an engagement might be at hand, though the lateness of the hour rendered it unlikely, I ordered General McDowell to advance Ricketts' Division to support General Banks, and directed General Sigel to bring his men upon the ground as soon as possible. I arrived, personally, on the field at seven P. M., and found the action raging furiously. The infantry fire was incessant and severe. I found General Banks holding the position he took up early in the morning. His losses were heavy. Ricketts' division was immediately pushed forward, and occupied the right of General Banks, the brigades of Crawford and Gordon being directed to change their position from the right and mass themselves in the centre. Before this change could be effected it was quite dark, though the artillery fire continued at short range without intermission. The artillery fire at night by the 2d and 5th Maine batteries, in Ricketts' division, of General McDowell's corps, was most destructive, as was readily ob 535 servable the next morning, in the dead men and horses, and broken gun-carriages of the enemy's batteries, which had been advanced against it. Our troops rested on their arms during the night in line of battle, the heavy shelling being kept up on both sides. until midnight. At daylight the next morning, the enemy fell back two miles from our front, and still higher up the mountain. Our pickets at once advanced and occupied the ground. The fatigue of the troops from long marches and excessive heat, made it impossible for either side to resume the action on Sunday. The men were, therefore, allowed to rest and recruit the whole day, our only active operations being of cavalry on the enemy's flank and rear. Monday was spent in burying the dead, and in getting off the wounded. The slaughter was severe on both sides, most of the fighting being hand to hand. The dead bodies of both armies were found mingled together in masses over the whole ground of the conflict. The burying of the dead was not completed until dark on Monday, the heat being so terrible that severe work was not possible. On Monday night the enemy fled from the field, leaving many of his dead unburied, and his wounded on the ground, and along the road to Orange Court House. A cavalry and artillery force, under General Buford, was immediately thrown forward in pursuit, and followed the enemy to the Rapidan, over which he passed, with his rear guard, by ten o'clock in the morning. "The behavior of General Banks' corps during the action was very fine. No greater gallantry and daring could be exhibited by any troops. I cannot speak too highly of the coolness and intrepidity of General Banks, himself, during the whole of the engagement. He was in the front, and exposed as much as any man in his command. His example was of the greatest benefit to his troops, and he merits and should receive the commendation of his government. Gen this statement, under-estimated the force of the enemy, thinking he would be able to crush their advance before their main body could come up from the direction of the Rapidan. erals Williams, Augur, Gordon, Crawford, Prince, Green, and Geary, behaved with conspicuous gallantry. Augur and Geary were severely wounded, and Prince, by losing his way in the dark, while passing from one flank to another, A brief report from the Confederate fell into the hands of the enemy. I de- General Jackson, thus, characteristically sire, publicly, to express my apprecia- records this engagement: "On the evention of the prompt and skillful manner in ing of the 9th God blessed our arms with which Generals McDowell and Sigel another victory. The battle was near brought forward their respective com- Cedar Run, about six miles from Culpepmands, and established them on the field, er Court House. The enemy, according and of their cheerful and hearty coöpera- to the statement of prisoners, consisted tion with me, from beginning to end. of Banks', McDowell's, and Sigel's comBrigadier-General Roberts, Chief of Cav-mands. We have over 400 prisoners, alry of this army, was with the advance including Brigadier - General Prince. of our forces on Friday and Saturday, While our list of killed is less than that and was conspicuous for his gallantry, of the enemy, yet we have to mourn the and for the valuable aid he rendered to loss of some of our best officers and men. Generals Banks and Crawford. Our loss Brigadier-General Charles S. Winder was about 1,500 killed, wounded and was mortally wounded, while ably dismissing, of whom 290 were taken prison- charging his duty at the head of his comers. As might be expected, from the mand, which was the advance of the left character of the engagement, a very wing of the army. We have collected large proportion of these were killed. about 1,500 small arms, and other ordThe enemy's loss in killed, wounded, and nance stores."* prisoners, we are now satisfied, is much in excess of our own."* The disastrous engagement at Cedar Mountain, in which the corps of General In the subsequent account of this bat- Banks had suffered so severely, was not tle, in his prolonged account of the entire followed by the withdrawal of General campaign, General Pope "approximate- Pope's army from the region. On the ly" brings up his losses to about 1,800 contrary, the enemy fell back towards killed, wounded, and prisoners, "besides Gordonsville, to await the arrival of the which, fully 1,000 straggled back to main army of General Lee, while GenCulpeper Court House, and beyond, and eral Pope, immediately reinforced by never entirely returned to their com- General Rufus King's division from Falmands." General Pope, also, in this re- mouth, and, on the 14th, by 8,000 men port, intimates that General Banks, of General Burnside's forces, under Genwhile acting with that consummate cour-eral Reno, again firmly held the line of age, which particularly distinguished the the Rapidan, with Sigel on the right, Massachusetts regiments under his com- McDowell in the centre, at Cedar Mounmand, had shown some rashness in leav-tain, and Reno on the left. General ing a strong position, and attacking the enemy, who were in superior force, and strongly posted, sheltered by woods and ridges, before the whole disposable force of the army was brought up for the engagement. General Banks, according to * General Pope to General Halleck. Headquarters, Cedar Mountain, Va., Aug. 13, 1862. Banks' shattered corps was at Culpeper. It being presently ascertained that the enemy were advancing in greatly superior numbers, General Pope retired, with his forces, on the 19th, to the north bank of the Rappahannock, in the vicinity of Major-General T. J. Jackson to Colonel R. H. Chilton, A. A. G. Headquarters, Valley District, Aug. 12, 1862. GENERAL POPE'S MOVEMENTS. 537 whole army," upon the flank and rear of their long column, which was passing up the river. This movement was defeated by the rapid rise in the river, from the storm of the night of the 22d. As the same flood, however, would impede the enemy in crossing, General Pope ordered Sigel, on his right, to march, with his whole corps, supported by Reno and Banks, towards Waterloo Bridge, and Kelly's ford, and Rappahannock station, on the railway. The enemy immediately followed, and for two days, the 21st and 22d, the two armies were confronted, and kept up an artillery fire across the river, which the rebels in vain endeavored to cross. There were no obstacles, however, in the way of their passing the stream above, and they, accordingly, made their movement in that direction, a body of General Stuart's cavalry cross-cut off and attack the portion of Lee's ing at Waterloo Bridge, traversing the country in the rear of the Union army, and, on the night of the 22d, falling upon Catlett's station, on the railroad, where they surprised the guard, and captured a large wagon train, including the papers, personal effects and equipage of Generals Pope and McDowell, which were freely pillaged. General Pope's, and a few other wagons were burnt. While these depredations were going on, a furious thunder-storm was raging, deluging the country. There was, of course, much confusion in the darkness. Some resistance was offered, but nothing effective. Stuart's party, not more than 300 in number, had it all their own way, though there were not less than 1,500 infantry, and five companies of cavalry, who should have been prepared to meet them. Indeed, General Pope, who might naturally feel sore on the matter-seeing the rummage of his effects was vaunted by the rebels as a personal indignity inflicted as a return for his obnoxious "orders," pronounces the success of the enemy, who, besides the spoil of his headquarters, and the destruction of property, carried off a number of prisoners and horses, "most disgraceful to the force which had been left in charge of the trains." Having in this raid inflicted what injury the night permitted, the enemy left before daylight on their return to Warrenton. When the advance of the enemy on his right was fully ascertained, General Pope determined to recross the Rappahannock, and "fall, furiously, with his army which had already crossed the supporting him, in the direction of Waterloo Bridge." In one of these engagements of General Sigel's command, General Henry Bohlen fell while leading his troops against the enemy. Born in Germany, he had established himself in Philadelpha, where he became a prosperous merchant and highly respected citizen. His patriotism led him to raise a regiment of his countrymen, of which he took the command, in General Blenker's division. He was then promoted to the rank of Briga- | dier-General, and attached to the department of Fremont, distinguishing himself greatly by his conduct at the engagement at Cross Keys. roic campaign-days, in the ordinary life of armies, filled with the events of months. "On the 23d," says he, "I received a dispatch from the General-in-Chief, informing me that heavy reinforcements would begin to arrive at Warrenton Junction the succeeding day, and on the 24th I received dispatches from Colonel Haupt, the railroad superintendent at Alexandria, who informed me that thirty thousand men, ordered forward to join me, had demanded transportation from him, and that they would all be shipped that afternoon, or early the next morning. The force which I thus expected was, as reported to me, to consist of the division of General Sturgis, ten thousand The enemy, meanwhile, were pushing strong; the division of General Cox, their forces rapidly on to the north, be- seven thousand strong; the corps of tween the Blue Ridge and the Bull Run General Heintzelman, ten thousand mountains, a large detachment of infan- strong; and the corps of Gen. Franklin try, artillery, and cavalry, on the 24th, ten thousand strong. By the night of being discovered well on their way to- the 25th it became apparent to me that I ward Manassas railroad at Rectortown. could no longer keep open my communiThe Union forces, gathered between cations with Fredericksburg, and oppose Warrenton and the north fork of the the crossing of the Rappahannock at Rappahannock, confronted the Confed- Rappahannock station, without abandonerate centre on the right bank of the ing the road from Warrenton to Washriver. It was the object of General ington, and leaving open to the enemy Pope to hold the enemy till reinforce- the route through Thoroughfare Gap, ments should arrive from McClellan's and all other roads north of the Orange army. It was the enemy's object to an- and Alexandria railroad. As the main ticipate this movement, and get between body of his force was constantly tending the army of General Pope and Washing- in that direction, I determined no longer ton, and cut off his supplies. As Lee's to attempt to mask the lower fords of the army was advancing rapidly towards the Rappahannock, but to assemble such accomplishment of its design, General forces as I had along the Warrenton Pope felt compelled, at all hazards, to turnpike, between Warrenton and give them battle on the march. Portions Gainesville, and give battle to the enof the army of the Potomac, and General emy on my right or left, as he might Cox's division, which had been ordered choose. I therefore directed McDowell from Western Virginia, were on their to occupy Warrenton with his own and way from Alexandria and Fredericks- Sigel's corps, supporting him by Banks' burg to his aid. As the complicated corps from the direction of Fayetteville. movements which followed involve many I pushed Reno forward to occupy a point nice matters of detail, on a proper esti- near the Warrenton turnpike, and about mate of which must rest the military re- three miles to the east of that town. putation of General Pope, it is but justice sent orders to General Porter, who had to that officer to cite his connected nar- reported to me by note from the neighration of the remaining days of this he-borhood of Bealeton station, to push for I |