THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
45 1
It was equallynatural that thesubordinate officersand the enlistedmen of those corpsshould have beenill - pleased at theseeming affront totheir own officers,involved in callingan officer strange tothem and to thecountry in whichthey were operat-ing, and to the char-
acter of tllG SGrvice VIEW lx culpeper during the occupation by pope, from a photograph.
ill which they WG1*G The building with the ball and vane is the Court House, in which
Confederate prisoners were confined.
engaged, to super-sede well-known and trusted officers who had been with them from thebeginning, and whose reputation was so closely identified with their own.How far this feeling prevailed among them, and how it influenced theiractions, if it did so at all, I am not able to tell; but it is only proper for meto say (and it is a pleasure as well as a duty to say it) that Generals McDowelland Banks never exhibited to me the slightest feeling on the subject eitherin their conversation or acts. Indeed, I think it would be hard to find officersmore faithful to their duty or more deeply interested in the success of thearmy. To General McDowell especially is due my gratitude for his zeal andfidelity in what was and ought to have been considered a common cause,the success of the Union Army.
Knowing very well the difficulties and embarrassments certain to arisefrom all these sources, and the almost hopeless character of the servicedemanded of me, I, nevertheless, felt obliged, in deference to the wish of thePresident and Secretary of War, to submit; but I entered on this commandwith great reluctance and serious forebodings.
On the 27th of June, accordingly, I assumed command of the Army of Vir-ginia, which consisted of the three corps above named, which numbered asfollows: Fremont’s corps, 11,500; Banks ’s corps, 8000, and McDowell’s corps,18,500,—in all, 38,000 men. 5c The cavalry numbered about 5000, but most of itwas badly organized and armed, and in poor condition for service. Theseforces were scattered over a wide district of country, not within supporting
& On the 27th of June, according to the “ OfficialRecords,” the strength of the Army of Virginiaappears to have been about as follows: Head-quarters, 200 ; Sigel’s corps (Fremont’s), 13,200 ;Banks ’s, 12,100; McDowell’s, 19,300; cavalry,5800. Total of the three army corps, 44,600, or6600 more than General Pope’s estimate : Aggre-gate, 50,600, or 7600 more than General Pope’s
estimate. On the 31st of July the consolidatedreport showed 46,858 “effectives.” An error inthe report of Banks ’s corps reduced this aggregateto 40,358. After the battle of Cedar Mountain,and when he had been reenforced by Reno (7000),Pope estimated his force at barely 40,000. Withthis force were 25 field-batteries numbering about150 guns.— Editors.