Northern Virginia Campaign – Legends of America
The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or the Second Manassas Campaign, was a pivotal series of battles fought in the state of Virginia during the months of August and September of 1862. This campaign unfolded within the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, a region that witnessed some of the most intense and strategically significant clashes of the conflict. Confederate General Robert E. Lee, emboldened by his successes in the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign, strategically shifted his focus northward, aiming to challenge the Union forces near Washington, D.C. His primary objective was to decisively defeat Major General John Pope and his Army of Virginia, thereby asserting Confederate dominance in the region.
Cedar Mountain (August 9, 1862)
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also referred to as the Battle of Slaughter’s Mountain or the Battle of Cedar Run, marked a significant engagement in Culpeper County. In June 1862, Union Major General John Pope assumed command of the newly formed Army of Virginia. Responding to Pope’s strategic positioning, Confederate General Robert E. Lee dispatched Major General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson with a force of 14,000 men to Gordonsville in July. Jackson’s forces were later reinforced by General Ambrose P. Hill’s division.
In early August, Pope advanced his troops southward into Culpeper County with the intention of capturing the vital rail junction at Gordonsville. On August 9th, the forces of General Jackson and Major General Nathaniel Banks clashed at Cedar Mountain. Initially, the Union forces gained an advantage, but a determined Confederate counterattack led by General Hill turned the tide, securing a victory for the Confederacy. Confederate General William Winder was killed during the battle.
The Battle of Cedar Mountain was a strategic turning point, shifting the focus of fighting in Virginia from the Peninsula to Northern Virginia and granting General Lee the initiative. The Confederate victory came at a cost, with approximately 1,307 Confederate casualties, while the Union forces suffered an estimated 1,400 casualties.
Rappahannock Station I (August 22-25, 1862)
The series of skirmishes known as Rappahannock Station I, also referred to as the Battle of Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs, or Freeman’s Ford, unfolded over four days in Culpeper and Fauquier Counties. In early August, General Robert E. Lee recognized that Union Major General George B. McClellan’s army was being withdrawn from the Peninsula to reinforce General John Pope. Consequently, he dispatched General James Longstreet from Richmond to join Major General Thomas J. Jackson’s wing near Gordonsville, arriving on August 15th to assume command.
On August 20-21, Pope strategically withdrew his forces to the line of the Rappahannock River. On August 23rd, Confederate Brigadier General J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry executed a daring raid on Pope’s headquarters at Catlett Station, exposing the vulnerability of the Union right flank to a potential turning movement.
Over the subsequent days, from August 22nd to the 25th, the two armies engaged in a series of minor skirmishes along the Rappahannock River, including at Waterloo Bridge, Lee Springs, Freeman’s Ford, and Sulphur Springs. These engagements resulted in a few hundred casualties. Collectively, these skirmishes served to prepare Pope’s army along the river. Concurrently, Jackson’s wing marched via Thoroughfare Gap to capture Bristoe Station and destroy Federal supplies at Manassas Junction, far behind Pope’s army. The inconclusive battles resulted in an estimated total of 225 casualties.
Manassas Station Operations (August 25-27, 1862)
The Manassas Station Operations, encompassing actions at Bristoe Station, Kettle Run, Bull Run Bridge, and Union Mills, occurred in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign. On the evening of August 26th, after circumventing Union General Pope’s right flank via Thoroughfare Gap, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson’s wing of the army struck the Orange & Alexandria Railroad at Bristoe Station. Before dawn on August 27th, they marched to capture and destroy the extensive Union supply depot at Manassas Junction. This surprise maneuver compelled General John Pope to retreat from his defensive line along the Rappahannock River.
On August 27th, General Jackson routed a Union brigade near Union Mills (Bull Run Bridge), inflicting substantial casualties and mortally wounding Union Brigadier General G.W. Taylor. Confederate General Richard Ewell’s Division engaged in a brisk rearguard action against Union General Joseph Hooker’s division at Kettle Run, resulting in approximately 600 casualties and delaying Union forces until nightfall. During the night of August 27-28, General Jackson marched his divisions north to the First Manassas battlefield, where he established a position behind an unfinished railroad grade. The Confederate victory resulted in estimated Union casualties of 400-450 and 173 Confederate casualties.
Thoroughfare Gap (August 28, 1862)
The engagement at Thoroughfare Gap, also known as the Battle of Chapman’s Mill, took place in Fauquier and Prince William Counties. Following skirmishes near Chapman’s Mill in Thoroughfare Gap, Brigadier General James Ricketts’s Union division was outflanked by a Confederate column passing through Hopewell Gap several miles north, with troops securing the high ground at Thoroughfare Gap. Ricketts withdrew, and Confederate General James Longstreet’s army wing marched through the gap to join Jackson. This seemingly minor action significantly contributed to Union Major General John Pope’s defeat during the battles of August 29-30. It allowed the two wings of General Robert E. Lee’s army to unite on the Manassas battlefield. Ricketts retreated via Gainesville to Manassas Junction. The Confederate victory resulted in an estimated total of 100 casualties.
Manassas II (August 28-30, 1862)
The Battle of Second Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Second Manassas, Manassas Plains, Groveton, Gainesville, or Brawner’s Farm, was a Confederate victory that occurred in Prince William County. To draw Union Major General John Pope’s army into battle, Confederate Major General Thomas J. Jackson ordered an attack on a Federal column passing across his front on the Warrenton Turnpike on August 28th. The fighting at Brawner Farm lasted for several hours and resulted in a stalemate. General Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated the bulk of his army against him.
On August 29th, Pope launched a series of assaults against General Jackson’s position along an unfinished railroad grade. The attacks were repulsed, with heavy casualties on both sides. At noon, Confederate General James Longstreet arrived on the field from Thoroughfare Gap and took position on Jackson’s right flank.
On August 30, General Pope renewed his attacks, seemingly unaware that Longstreet was on the field. When massed Confederate artillery devastated a Union assault by General Fitz John Porter, Longstreet’s wing of 28,000 men counterattacked in what was the Civil War’s most significant simultaneous mass assault. The Union left flank was crushed, and the army was driven back to Bull Run. Only an effective Union rearguard action prevented a replay of the First Manassas disaster. General Pope’s retreat to Centreville was precipitous. The next day, General Robert E. Lee ordered his army in pursuit. This was the decisive battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign. The Confederate victory resulted in an estimated 13,830 Union casualties and 8,350 Confederate casualties.
Chantilly (September 1, 1862)
The Battle of Chantilly, also known as the Battle of Ox Hill, took place in Fairfax County. Confederate Major General Thomas J. Jackson aimed to cut off the Union retreat from Bull Run with a wide flank march. On September 1st, beyond Chantilly Plantation on the Little River Turnpike near Ox Hill, Jackson sent his divisions against two Union divisions under Major Generals Isaac Stevens and Phillip Kearny. Confederate attacks were halted by fierce fighting during a severe thunderstorm. Union generals Stevens and Kearny were both killed.
Recognizing that his army was still in danger at the Fairfax Courthouse, Major General John Pope ordered the retreat to continue to Washington. With Pope no longer a threat, General Robert E. Lee turned his army west and north to invade Maryland, initiating the Maryland Campaign and the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. Major General George B. McClellan assumed command of Union forces around Washington. Although the battle was inconclusive, it was considered a strategic Confederate victory. There were an estimated 1,300 Union casualties and 800 Confederate casualties.
The Northern Virginia Campaign, with its series of intense battles and strategic maneuvers, played a crucial role in shaping the course of the American Civil War. The campaign highlighted the military prowess of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and had a profound impact on the strategic landscape of the war.