August 31, 1862---All Chiefs, no Indians

AUGUST 31, 1862:     

The Union field commanders fall to squabbling in the wake of Second Manassas: John Pope demands reinforcements and Henry Halleck offers them conditioned on his assuming overall command of the Army of Virginia. George McClellan, who is supposed to provide the reinforcements upon Halleck’s Order, ignores them both. Robert E. Lee chuckles, and Abraham Lincoln stomps his stovepipe hat flat in frustration.

August 30, 1862---THe Battle of Richmond, Kentucky

AUGUST 30, 1862:     

The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. 

This battle, which began on the afternoon of August 29^th, was an intense artillery and infantry duel in which Confederate forces routed the Union troops in and around Richmond, Kentucky, forcing open the way to Lexington and Frankfort, and a possible re-establishment of the Kentucky Confederate State Government, which had been in exile since its founding.  

It was the most lopsided victory of the war, made worse by its small scale. The Confederates captured over 4,300 Union troops out of 6,500 engaged. 

Total casualties were 5,353 (206 killed, 844 wounded, 4,303 captured/missing) on the Union side, 451 (78 killed, 372 wounded, 1 missing) out of 7,000 engaged on the Confederate side.

August 29, 1862---The Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas): Day Two

AUGUST 29, 1862:     

The Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas)  (Day Two): 

General John Pope not only didn’t have a clear idea where Stonewall Jackson was, he didn’t have a clear idea where his own troops were, and his order to attack soon became a disordered and piecemeal melee, which only became worse after General Longstreet linked up with General Jackson. 

Pope somehow had convinced himself that Jackson was retreating, and he issued an infamous “Joint Order” directing that his scattered Divisions and Brigades converge on one point on the battlefield simultaneously to envelop Jackson’s force (Pope was, for some unknown reason, ignoring or not accounting for Longstreet). 

In the fog of war, communications miscarried, responses were lost, and any attempts at coordination failed. The Union attack never materialized. 

At noon, Jackson’s wing launched a massive artillery barrage, and Longstreet’s wing crashed into Pope’s flank, which, barely organized, disintegrated. 

Just as at First Bull Run, the troops began streaming back toward Washington, and only a resolute rearguard action prevented the Confederates from marching on the District of Columbia. 

Union casualties were about 10,000 killed and wounded out of 62,000 engaged; the Confederates lost about 1,300 killed and 7,000 wounded out of 50,000.

August 28, 1862---The Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas): Day One

AUGUST 28, 1862:     

The Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas)  (Day One): 

With 50,000 troops and a retreating enemy in the form of General John “A Pinch of Owl Dung” Pope, Robert E. Lee decides to destroy the Union Army of Virginia, which is occupying middle northern Virginia and is separated from McClellan’s Army of the Potomac, now on the coast. Given the animosity between Pope and McClellan (both prima donnas who felt they should both be in command of both armies) Lee takes a calculated risk believing he can deal with them piecemeal. He is proven correct, as McClellan refuses to move.

Several engagements make up the larger Battle of Second Manassas:

1.       The Battle of Thoroughfare Gap (The Battle of Chapman’s Mill). The “Right Wing” of the Army of Northern Virginia under General James Longstreet seizes control of Thoroughfare Gap in a small but critical engagement which allows him to link his army up with Stonewall Jackson’s army. 

2.       The Battle of Brawner’s Farm (The Battle of Grovetown).    The “Left Wing” under Stonewall Jackson came up against stiffer resistance than had Longstreet. In literal face-to-face combat, Billy Yank and Johnny Reb duked it out with rifles and bayonets “in a fierce and sanguinary struggle” (according to Jackson) that incurred a heavy cost, with over 1,150 Union and 1,250 Confederate casualties. Although night fell with just a narrow No-Man’s Land between the lines and no decisive victory, General John Pope U.S.A. determined to attack Jackson in the morning. Unfortunately, again, he had no Intelligence, and was without knowledge of troop dispositions on the field.