| Second Battle Of Bull Run |
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| 1862 in the united states | |
| battles of the northern virginia campaign of the american civil war | |
| bull run, 2nd | |
| confederate victories of the american civil war | |
The Second Battle of Bull Run, or the '''Battle of Second Manassas''', was waged between August 28 and August 30 , 1862 , as part of the American Civil War . It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate General Robert E. Lee 's Army Of Northern Virginia against Union Major General John Pope 's Army Of Virginia , and a battle of much larger scale and numbers than the First Battle Of Bull Run . The result of the battle was an overwhelming Confederate victory, but the Union army was left largely intact in comparison to Irvin McDowell 's army after the First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas. BACKGROUND During late June and early July 1862, Robert E. Lee's army was able to break a Union stranglehold on the Confederate capital Richmond, Virginia , and drive George B. McClellan 's Army Of The Potomac back into the Virginia Peninsula . Having lost the initiative, McClellan embarked his army on naval transports back to Washington . In the meantime, Lee undertook a campaign against John Pope's Army of Virginia, which was perched threateningly along the Rapidan River . If Pope's army were allowed to link up with McClellan's, their combined force would exceed 180,000 men—far too many for Lee to defeat with his army of 60,000. On August 9 , Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeated Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks at Cedar Mountain , opening the series of tactical maneuvers that would culminate in the confrontation near Bull Run. After this engagement, Lee sent 30,000 men under Major General James Longstreet to reinforce Jackson and soon arrived himself to assume command of the combined force. A cavalry raid on Pope's headquarters at Catlett Station on the night of August 22 to August 23 yielded the Union general's tent, dress coat, $350,000 in cash, and—most importantly—his dispatch book. In the details of the dispatch book, Lee's fears were confirmed: elements of McClellan's army were seeking to link up with Pope's. The Confederate general immediately sought to defeat the Army of Virginia before it could be reinforced. On August 25 , he sent Stonewall Jackson and 24,000 men on a wide Flanking Movement around Pope's right. While the Union commander remained oblivious at the Rappahannock River , Jackson's men poured through Thoroughfare Gap and captured a significant store of Federal supplies at Manassas Junction . The food and clothing they obtained provided a welcoming reward for their 36-hour forced march. The Confederates burned what they could not take with them. On August 27 , Pope realized his untenable position and moved to intercept Jackson from the southwest, while Union Major General and General-in-chief Henry W. Halleck directed Federal forces in Alexandria to move against Manassas Junction and Gainesville from the east. Major General Joseph Hooker 's troops were the first of Pope's men to arrive. Jackson's rearguard under Major General Richard S. Ewell held them off allowing Jackson to withdraw his command during the night to a railroad bed running roughly parallel to the Warrenton Turnpike , then curving off to the north as it ran eastward. Pope's troops, along with Major General Fitz John Porter 's Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac were approaching from the South and West. BATTLE August 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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