|
|
The Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) |
|
| August 28-30, 1862 |
Determined to improve strategic planning and over-all generalship, U.S. President Lincoln brought MG Henry W. Halleck - a respected military theorist and administrator with limited field army experience - from his command in the West (where Grant was his subordinate) to become general-in-chief of the U.S. Army (11 July 1862). Lincoln also recalled (26 June) MG John Pope from the West to command the new Federal Army of Virginia and ordered McClellan's Army of the Potomac back to Washington after its defeat on the Virginia Peninsula. The ambitious Union plan was to unite the Army of Virginia (63,000+ men - operating northwest of Fredericksburg, VA) with the returning Army of the Potomac (100,000+ men) for an overland march from the north to Richmond. Acutely aware of this possibility and of the opportunity to strike a decisive blow after the recent events on the Peninsula, Lee was convinced that he must crush Pope before the two Federal armies could merge. This would further devastate northern morale and promote European recognition of the young Confederacy. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (55,000+ men) now consisted of two corps commanded by MG Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and MG James Longstreet. After Jackson's Corps narrowly defeated elements of Pope's army (MG Nathaniel P. Banks, commanding) at Cedar Mountain (9 August - Jackson's last independent battle, 70 miles southwest of Washington), Lee (leaving 20,000 troops around the Confederate capital) marched north (13 August) to the Rappahannock River, about halfway between Richmond and Washington to unite Longstreet's Corps (31,000 men) with Jackson. Skirmishing between the two armies proceeded for several days, but on 25 August, Lee boldly divided his army, sending Jackson around (50+ miles in two days!) Pope's right flank to cut the Federal army's supply lines at Manassas Junction (26-27 August). Pope now had a rare opportunity to defeat Lee's army one corps at a time ("in detail"). But inferior reconnaissance (especially when compared to the Army of Northern Virginia, the Union army had not yet learned to deploy cavalry to best effect) and poor communications between Pope and many of his subordinate commanders kept this from happening. Jealousies, misunderstandings, and a lack of confidence contributed to a mutual distrust between headquarters and field commanders. Pope was so intent upon "bagging" Jackson that he paid little attention to Longstreet (Lee's other corps). Demonstrating (28 August) before Brawner's Farm (Groveton) in the vicinity of Manassas Junction, Jackson's Corps opened Second Bull Run (Manassas). The next day (29 August) Pope concentrated his forces and gained initial success with a series of piecemeal frontal assaults. Again on 30 August Pope attacked Jackson's Corps, but now Lee unleashed Longstreet in a massive flanking counterattack that drove the surprised Federal army back to Bull Run in decisive defeat. An intense rear-guard action was fought at Chantilly (1 September - 20 miles from the U.S. capital), and by 2 September the Federal Army of Virginia had pulled back within the defenses of Washington. President Lincoln restored the controversial George B. McClellan to full command of the Union armies in Virginia, and on 12 September the ill-fated Federal Army of Virginia was absorbed into the Army of the Potomac. Pope was relieved of command and shunted off (6 September) to the Department of the Northwest to quell the Sioux Indian uprising in Minnesota (August-September 1862). Second Bull Run brought discredit to many Union generals, but it was a high-water mark for GEN Lee and the Confederacy. Moreover, it made possible Lee's first invasion of the North. Estimated Casualties (entire Manassas Campaign 27 Aug.-2 Sep.): Union - 16,054; Confederate - 9,197.
Notes:
Numbers in parentheses reflect estimated strength of armies or units.
Estimated casualty figures are totals for killed, wounded, missing in action, and taken prisoner.
Alternative names of battles and campaigns appear in parentheses.
Military and naval rank abbreviations in text: LT - Lieutenant, CPT - Captain, MAJ - Major, LTC - Lieutenant Colonel, CDR - Commander (Navy), COL - Colonel, BG - Brigadier General, MG - Major General, RADM - Rear Admiral (Navy), LTG - Lieutenant General, VADM - Vice Admiral (Navy), and GEN - General.
Army Organization: Although authorized and actual strength and the rank of the commanding officer often varied, the standard military unit during the War was the infantry regiment (1,000 men, COL commanding) which was comprised of 10 companies (100 men each, CPT commanding). 3-4 Regiments = 1 Brigade (3,000-4000 men, BG commanding). 3 (sometimes 4) Brigades = 1 Division (9000-12,000 men, BG or MG commanding). 2-4 (usually 3) Divisions = 1 Corps (18,000-24,000+ men, MG - North and MG or LTG -South commanding). 2 or more Corps = An Army (usually 20,000-100,000+ men - MG, LTG, or GEN commanding). 2 or more Armies = An Army Group (usually 100,000+ men - MG, LTG, or GEN commanding).
Sources:
Atlas for the American Civil War, The West Point Military History Series, 1986.
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, by James M. McPherson. 1988.
Battlefields of the Civil War, by Roger W. Hicks and Frances E. Schultz. 1989.
The Centennial History of the Civil War, 3 Vols., by Bruce Catton. 1961-65.
The Civil War (Series), Editors of Time-Life Books. 1983.
The Civil War: A Narrative, 3 Vols., by Shelby Foote. 1958-1974.
The Civil War: An Illustrated History, by Geoffrey C. Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns. 1990.
The Civil War Battlefield Guide, Ed. by Frances H. Kennedy. 1990.
The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac, by E.B. Long with Barbara Long. 1971.
The Encyclopedia of Military History, Second Rev. Ed., by R. Ernest Dupuy and Trevor N. Dupuy. 1986.
West Point Atlas of American Wars, Vol. I, Ed. by Vincent J. Esposito. 1959.
Who Was Who in the Civil War, by Stewart Sifakis. 1988.
Photographs courtesy of The Generals of the American Civil War Website.
