450
THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
in fi’ont of General McClellan , who then occupied the line of the Chickahominy,and to distract the attention of the enemy in his front so as to reduce as faras practicable the resistance opposed to his advance on Richmond.
It became apparent to me at once that the duty to be assigned to me wasin the nature of a forlorn-hope, and my position was still further embarrassedby the fact that I was called from another army and a different field of dutyto command an army of which the corps commanders were all my seniors inrank. I therefore strongly urged that I be not placed in such a position, butbe permitted to return to my command in the West, to which I was greatlyattached and with which I had been closely identified in several successfuloperations on the Mississippi . It was not difficult to forecast the delicate andembarrassing position in which I should be placed, nor the almost certainlydisagreeable, if not unfortunate, issue of such organization for such a purpose.
It would be tedious to relate the conversations between the President, theSecretary of War, and myself on this subject. Sufficient to say that I was finallyinformed that the public interests required my assignment to this command,and that it was my duty to submit cheerfully. An order from the War Depart-ment was accordingly issued organizing the Army of Virginia, to consist ofthe army corps of McDowell, Banks , and Fremont, and placing me in command.
One result of this order was the very natural protest of General Fremontagainst being placed under the command of his junior in rank, and his requestto be relieved from the command of his corps. 5,
&Tliis request was complied with, and on the 29th of June, 1802, General Franz Sigel assumed
command of the First Corps.— Editors.
Chanibersburgr^
"“/FT
SCALE cr MILES
c f,
WsffLW* 1|
. •Nl'WU'YfJl /A'Jgfr
Fry- /"
qV Grant C1L
^Washington
rederichsburg r As
Dtig c Geor-gee H
C
Npuiney'i
‘Bowling-Green
ITgu-u' ~\Z^->.Tappaliannpd
OUTLINE MAP OF THE CAMPAIGN.