Franz Sigel to Major-General MODOWELL, August 28, 1862

The enemy is reported in force on the other side of the Bull Run, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, as also near Centreville.

I have ordered Sigel to march upon Centreville immediately, as also Kearny and Reno. I will advance Hooker as reserve. Please march immediately with your command directly upon Centreville from where you are.

JNO. POPE, Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF Virginia, Centreville, August 29, 1862. Generals MCDOWELL and PoRTER:

You will please move forward with your joint command toward Gainesville. I sent General Porter written orders to that effect an hour and a half ago. Heintzelman, Sigel, and Reno are moving on the Warrenton turnpike, and must now be not far from Gainesville. I desire that as soon a8 communication is established between this force and your own the whole command shall halt. It may be necessary to fall back behind Bull Run at Centreville to-night. I presume it will be so on account of our supplies. I have sent no orders of any description to Ricketts, and none to interfere in any way with the movements of McDowell’s troops except what I sent by his aide-decamp last night, which were to hold his position on the Warrenton pike until the troops from here should fall on the enemy’s flank and rear. I do not even know Ricketts’ position, as I have not been able to find out where General McDowell was until a late hour this morn. ing.

General McDowell will take immediate steps to communicate with General Ricketts and instruct him to rejoin the other divisions of his corps as soon as practicable. If any considerable advantages are to be gained by departing from this order it will not be strictly carried out.

_ One thing must be held in view, that the troops must occupy a position from which they can reach Bull Run to-night or by morning. The indications are that the whole force of the enemy is moving in this direction at a pace that will bring them here by to-morrow night or the next day.

My own headquarters will for the present be with Heintzelman’s corps or at this place.

JNO. POPE, Major-General, Commanding.

Court-Room, Cor. FOURTEENTH S. T. AND P. A. AVENUE, Washington, D. C., January 12, 1863. The court met pursuant to adjournment. Present, * * * , and nation.

The court was cleared.

The court was opened.

The further examination of Lieutenant-Colonel Tillson was suspended in order to receive the evidence of Major-General Meade, U. 8. Volunteers.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Did you see General Sigel early on the morning of the 29th of August and before any movements were made by the troops on that day? Where was he at that time?

Answer. I did, sir; and he was at his headquarters on the field at a place usually known as the Robinson house.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Were you at that time the senior officer present on that occasion with Reynolds’ division ?

Answer. Yes, sir; at least I supposed myself to be.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Did you report your command to General Sigel as the senior officer present, so far as you know and did you inform him of its position with respect to his corps ?

Answer. I reported to General Sigel that, in the absence of my superior officer, General Reynolds, who had left the night previous and had not returned and I was ignorant whether his absence was owing to his being captured by the enemy or had lost his way, I had come to report to him the position of my command, to ascertain his position, to know what he was going to do, and to obtain his advice and judgment what I had better do until some officer superior to both of us should arrive to regulate our movements—General McDowell or General Pope.

Question by the Court. Had Reynolds’ division been left the night before without instructions from any officer superior in rank to you, so far as you have knowledge ?

Answer. It is not inmy power to answer that question. Reynolds was in command of the division. In taking up our position the afternoon previous, whilst moving toward Centrevillc, under the orders, I understood, to General Reynolds from a superior officer, we turned off the road from Gainesville to Manassas Junction at the Bethlehem Church, and proceeded a short distance in the direction toward the Stone Bridge, when we heard heavy firing on our left and front over in the direction of Groveton. Upon hearing this firing—I was at the head of the column—I received a message from General Reynolds, who was in front, to quicken my movements and to bear off to the left in the direction of that firing. I did so, keeping on the road marked as leadin to Sudley Springs. I continued on this road till I reached the vicinity of the Conra house. It was then quite dark; the firing had entirely ceased, and, so far as I could judge, had receded, leading me to think that our people had fallen back. Hearing nothing from General Reynolds I deemed it prudent to halt the command, and assumed the responsibility of doing so. It seems that General Reynolds reached the scene of action—where the action was—and in returning lost his way, and did not get back till the next morning.

Question by the Court. Were you at the head of General Reynolds column on the morning of the 28th, when it reached Gainesville, on the march from Buckland Mills?

Question by the CouRT. Have you knowledge of any indications of the presence of the enemy in that neighborhood at that time; and, if so, where was the enemy and what was done to ascertain his strength ?

Answer. After passing Gainesville and just before reaching Groveton a battery, or sestion of a battery, was opened by the enemy from the heights immediately adjacent to Groveton, from which they threw some half a dozen (I suppose) of shot and shell at long range at the head of my column, one shell only eng effect, I think, killing ground on the left of the pike, and a rifled battery placed in position, which opened on the enemy’s battery. After a few shots from our battery they withdrew or ceased firing. I saw no exhibition of their force except one or two mounted men in the neighborhood of their guns while they were firing. As to measures taken to ascertain their force, all I know is I made a detail from my brigade of one or two companies of riflemen—probably more—who were directed by General Reynolds, conjointly with a company of cavalry which I understood he obtained from General McDowell’s escort, to proceed up a road marked on the map as leading to Sudley Springs and try to ascertain the enemy’s force. The result of this expedition I didnot hear. A short time afterward my brigade was moved across the country in the direction of Manassas Junction by way of Bethlehem Church.

Question by the CourT. Was the enemy discovered in any other

than the direction of Groveton during your march that day to your knowledge?

Answer. No. Not to my knowledge.

Question by the Court. Had you an impression that any of General McDowell’s forces were on the pike from Gainesville toward Groveton –

at the time you heard the firing in the afternoon toward which you inclined your march ?

Answer. I knew that two divisions of General McDowell’s corps were in our rear on

the same road during that march, viz, Ricketts’ and King’s, and I presume that it was one of these divisions that was engaged.

Question by the Court. From your knowledge of what occurred at the first engagement in the morning, and assuming also that Jackson was in the neighborhood of Manassas on the night of the 27th, and that the movement of General McDowell was intended to strike Jackson from the direction of Gainesville, while the other forces of General Pope pressed him from the direction of Manassas, in your judgment was General Me. Dowell’s conduct proper in withdrawing all his forces from the Warrenton pike and concentrating them in your rear toward Manassas, if he did do 80?

Answer. With the limited knowledge I had at the time of what was know. of the position and force of the enemy and of the plans of the commanding generals I am reluctant to advance an opinion which must be deemed a criticism. At the same time I feel bound to say that at the time I thought it was injudicious to pass toward Manassas Junction when he had evidence that the enemy was in the vicinity of Groveton. It is proper I should add that the enemy not taking advantage of our exposing our flank to them led me eventually to conclude he was not in very large force, and that the firing on my column was designed only to check and delay us, which it effected by one or two hours.

Question by the Court. Did you know that morning that Ricketts division had been sent to Thoroughfare Gap to prevent the approach of Longstreet and his junction with Jackson and was actually there ?

Answer. Idid not. I knew nothing personally of Ricketts’ division, except that he was in our rear.

Question by the CouRT. Would the fact that Ricketts was at Thoroughfare Gap to prevent the approach of Longstreet render the march of General McDowell with the rest of his forces to Manassas more or less injudicious, in your opinion, after the demonstration made against him in the morning from the direction of Groveton ?

General McDowell offered the following as an objection to the question :

I beg to submit that the opinion of the witness on the construction of orders or on any matter actually before the court should not be asked, for of this the court is to be the judge; that he should only be asked an opinion based on facts which he himself knew, and from which he drew his opinion as a collective judgment, and which basis of opinion is not possessed by the court. The witness says he knows nothing of the movements of Ricketts’ division.

The court was cleared, and decided that the question be not put.

The court was opened and its decision announced.

Question by the Court. Had you any knowledge of the position of King’s division, except that it was following Reynolds’ ? Auswer. I had not.

Question by the Court. In your opinion, from your knowledge of the country, what would have been the effect on Jackson’s forces if General McDowell’s forces, including Sigel’s corps, had marched against him along the Warrenton pike in the direction of Groveton instead of turning toward Manassas ?

General McDowell stated that this question assumed the point at issue, and that there was no evidence to show that Jackson’s army was there; that it assumes that the small force, consisting of a section of artillery and its small support, was Jackson’s army.

Answer. If Jackson was in the position premised; that is to say, on the heights about Groveton, I presume the effect of advancing would have been to bring on an engagement, the result of which it is not possible to pronounce with certainty.

Question by the CourT. What forces were engaged toward which you inclined your march in the afternoon toward Sudley Springs ?

Answer. On our side a portion of King’s division. I have no personal knowledge

what forces of the enemy were engaged, whether Jackson’s or Longstreet’s. This was toward sunset, about 6 or 7 o’clock.

Question by the CouRT. Have you knowledge, acquired during the ensuing battles, where Jackson’s forces were during the 28th; and, if so, where were they ?

Answer. I have no knowledge of the position of any of the enemy’s forces, so far as being commanded by Jackson. The enemy was on the 28th on the heights to the right or north of Groveton. On the 29th we passed over the ground that General Gibbon had fought on during the 28th.

The court adjourned to meet to-morrow, January 13, 1863, at J o’clock a. m.

Court-Room, Cor. FOURTEENTH S. T. AND P. A. AVENUE, Washington, D. C., January 13, 1863.

Question by the Court. In what formation did General McDowell move his command from Gainesville to Bethlehem Church; in column, by a flank, or in what way ?

Answer. As well as I remember it was in a column by a flank—the usual mode of marching en route—and by fours.

Question by the Court. How did the brigades succeed each other; whether over the same ground or in some other and what way ?

Answer. I was not with them, so as to answer the question.

Question by the Court. Can you give us the name of any officer of General McDowell’s staff who is present and can give us the information?

Question by the CouRT. Have you any knowledge, or had you any information at the time, that King’s division did not follow over the same route behind Reynolds’ division ?

Question by General MCDOWELL. What command did you exercise in the campaign in Virginia last summer?

Answer. I commanded the Army of Virginia.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Please state as fully as you can everything concerning the battle of Cedar Run, or Slaughter’s Mountain, on the 9th of August, which will show under what circumstances General McDowell’s troops were sent forward and brought into action on that day; whether or not General McDowell fully complied with your orders concerning the movement and disposition of his troops, and how it happened that General Banks’ corps sustained alone, until driven back, the engagement on the afternoon and evening of that day.

Answer. In order that my statement may be fully understood it will be necessary ~ for me to describe the positions of the army corps and divisions of that army a day or two previous to that battle and the movements that were made up to the time of its occurrence.

On the 6th August the troops were distributed as follows: Sigel’s corps at Sperryville; Banks’ corps at Little Washington, with Crawford’s brigade of that corps occupying Culpeper Court-House; Ricketts’ division of McDowell’s corps on the march from Waterloo to Culpeper. The disposition of the cavalry to cover the front of the army on that day, and until they were driven in by the advance of Jackson’s forces, were as follows: Five regiments of cavalry, under Brigadier-General Buford occupied Madison Court-House, with their advance pickets thrown forward to the line of the Rapidan, and extending westward from Barnett’s Ford, on that river, to the base of the Blue Ridge. Bayard, with four regiments of cavalry, was in the neighborhood of Rapidan Station, with his pickets along that river as far east as Raccoon Ford, and connecting with General Buford’s pickets, on his right, at Barnett’s Ford. From Bayard’s left, at Raccoon Ford, to the forks of the Rappahannock, above Falmouth, the river was lined with cavalry pickets. Between Generals Buford and Bayard and on the summit of Thoroughfare Mountain was established a signal station, which overlooked the whole country as far south as Orange Court-House, 8 or 9 miles south of the Rapidan. From these cavalry forces and the signal station on Thoroughfare

Mountain I received frequent and full reports of the movements of uhe enemy. In rear of General Buford, and at the crossing of Robertson River by the road from Madison Court-House to Sperryville, I had instructed General Sigel to post a brigade of infantry and a battery of artillery as a support to Buford’s cavalry in front of hin,

Matters stood thus on the 6th August. I instructed General Banks to move forward from Little Washington on the morning of 7th of August and to take post where the turnpike from Sperryville to Culpeper Court-House crosses Hazel River, so that on 7th August the infantry and artillery forces of the Army of Virginia were assembled along the stone turnpike from Sperryville to Culpeper.

On the 7th—that day I reviewed the corps of General Sigel at Sperryville, and remained at that place until 4 o’clock in the afternoon of the 7th. During the whole of this day reports were coming in of movements of the enemy toward the Rapidan from the direction of Gordonsville, portions of his forces having crossed the Rapidan during that day. I reached Culpeper Court-House early on the morning of the 8thof August, where I found Ricketts’ division of McDowell’s corps and Crawford’s brigade of Banks’ corps, which latter had been for some days in occupation of that place. By 10 or 11 o’clock on the aioe of the 8th it became clear that the enemy had crossed the Rapidan in heavy force and was advancing both upon Culpeper and upon Madison Court-House. My whole force at that time numbered about 30,000 men, it having been considered by the authorities in Washington not judicious to remove King’s division of McDowell’s corps from Fredericksburg. My instructions required me also to be very careful not to allow the enemy to interpose between myself and Fredericksburg, to which point the forces from the Peninsula were to be brought.

During the 8th August, or at least during the earlier part of that day, it was uncertain whether the main force of the enemy was marching upon Sperryville or upon Culpeper, but in either case I considered it proper to concentrate my forces in the direction of Culpeper, in order constantly to be interposed between the enemy and the lower fords of the Rappahannock.

I accordingly sent orders to Banks to move forward to Culpeper Court-House and to Sigel to move forward to thesame place with allspeed. Banksarrived at Culpeper in due season, but to my surprise I received a note from General Sigel, dated at Sperryville, about 6.30 in the evening, acknowledging the receipt of my order, and asking me by what road he should come to Culpeper. Asthere was but one road, and that a broad stone turnpike, that led directly from Sperryville to Culpeper, I was ai a loss to know how General Sigel could entertain any doubt upon the subject. This doubt of General Sigel’s delayed the arrival of his corps at Culpeper several hours.

When the reports began to come in from General Bayard that the enemy was advancing upon him, and that his cavalry was forced to retire, I advanced Crawford’s brigade of Banks’ corps to observe the enemy, to support Bayard in holding the enemy in check, and determining his force and movements, asfaras possible. Ricketts’ division of McDowell’s corps was on same day, 8th August, moved to a point 24 or 3 miles south of Culpeper, and near to thg place where the road from Madison CourtHouse to Culpeper comes into the road from Barnett’s Ford to Culpeper.

Early on the morning of the 9th I received information from General Buford, at Madison Court-House, that the enemy was on his right, on his left, and partly in his rear, and that he was retreating toward Sperryville. On the morning of the 9th Au-

¢ I pushed Banks in front, with his corps, to join the brigade of that corps which Fad gone to the front the day previous. General Banks was instructed by me to move his corps to the position occupied by that brigade; to take up a strong position there to check the advance of the enemy. This instruction was in a personal interview with General Banks at my headquarters at Culpeper. I told General Banks that if the enemy advanced to attack him that he should push his skirmishers well to the front and notify me immediately, it being my wish to ao all the time possible to concentrate our forces at Culpeper Court-House. General Banks’ corps at that time, from his consolidated report transmitted to me a few days previous, numbered over 12,000 infantry and artillery, and this I understood to be the strength of his corps when he was pushed to the front. Three miles in rear of the position which I expected him to occupy was Ricketts’ division of McDowell’s corps. : 3

Desultory artillery firing was kept up all day on the 9th, during which time I received a number of reports from General Banks, in none of which did he consider that the enemy was in any great force in front of him. In one of his notes, dated about 3 o’clock in the day, he mentioned that the enemy was displaying his cavalry ostentatiously; that he had seen no considerable force of infantry, and that he did not believe they intended to attack. The notes received I have, and can submit them to the court if they so desire it. The last note I received from General Banks was dated about 5 o’clock. He spoke then of the skirmishers approaching each other, and did not indicate that he expected any engagement or ask for any assistance. Before I received this note, however, the artillery firing had become so rapid and continuous that I feared a general engagement was going on or might be brought on at any moment. I therefore instructed General McDowell to push forward Ricketts’ division as

rapidly as possible to the field, and went forward myself with the division leaving behind me in Culpeper the whole corps of Sigel, with orders to push forward as soon as possible to the field.. General McDowell was in nowise responsible for anything connected with these movements, but in all respects carried out my instructions faithfally and zealously.

Question by General MODOWELL. Was not General McDowell personally at your headquarters during the 9th prior to his receiving your orders to send Ricketts’ division to the front, and was not he there in compliance with your instructions sent to him at his headquarters?

Question by General MODOWELL. Was General McDowell’s conduct at the battle of Cedar Run Mountain under your immediate notice? If so, state what was his conduct in the management of his troops and otherwise on that occasion.

Answer. He was under my immediate observation near the conclusion of the battle of Cedar Mountain, when he put his troops into the action on Banks’ right. His conduct throughout was gallant and efficient.

Question by General MODOWELL. Did you accompany the Third Army Corps on the march from Rappahannock to Warrenton, and were General McDowell’s headquarters with yours on. the 22d, 23d, 24th, and 25th of August? If so, state if the dispositions made of that corps ou those days were made in conformity with your orders.

Answer. I accompanied the Third Army Corps from the Rappahannock to Warrenton on the 23d. On the 22d, 23d, and 24th my headquarters were with those of General McDowell, and part of the day on the 25th. The dispositions of his corps were made by my orders on those days and under my immediate observation.

Question by General MCDOWELL. From the time of your leaving Warrenton on the afternoon of the 25th till General McDowell left there can you state if the orders he gave his corps were not immediately reported to you and if these orders were not approved by you?

Answer. Some of the orders that he cae were reported to me and approved by me. I cannot say that he reported to me all the orders given by him, but all that he reported to me were approved.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Did or not, so far as you know, General McDowell neglect or fail in any way to carry out any of your orders as to the disposition of his corps at or in the vicinity of Warrenton or Sulphur Springs or Waterloo with reference to any movement you had ordered General Sigel to make ?

Answer. He did not. When we commenced the movement toward Sulphur Springs and Warrenton on the 23d August it was on information that large forces of the enemy – had crossed the Rappahannock at Sulphur Springs and Waterloo Bridge. The river having risen 6 or 8 feet on the night of 22d, so as to destroy the fordse purposed to throw my whole force rapidly upon whatever forces of the enemy were on the north side of the river, hoping to be able, on account of the high water, to crush them before they could succeed in recrossing the river. General Sigel commanded the left, and was instructed to push forward to the Waterloo Bridge, following the course of the Rappahannock. I told him I would push forward McDowell’s corps from Warrenton to join him, if necessary, near Waterloo Bridge; but on the 24th I sent a strong reconnaissance forward to Waterloo Brid e, under General Buford, from Warrenton, and he reported to me on the afternoon of the 24th that there was no enemy on the north side of the river, and that he had fired the bridge at Waterloo. I immediately informed General Sigel of the whole of these facts; that I was sure there was no enemy between him and Waterloo. I therefore did not consider it necessary to push McDowell’s corps any farther in that direction. As soon as the advance of General Sigel’s corps reached Waterloo General Buford took post with all his cavalry on his right, and picketed the river for several miles above Waterloo. I make this statement to show why the corps of General McDowell was not advanced toward Waterloo Bridge on the 24th.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Were not the communications fie- quent and full between yourself and General McDowell whilst you were at Warrenton Junction and he was at Warrenton, and did he ever suggest to you that our whole force should be sent to Salem, and was not the movement to Salem a reconnaissance, made in obedience to your orders, to see what had become of the enemy’s column which had passed in front of Waterloo Bridge ?

Answer. To the first part of that question I would say yes. The communication was full and frequent. No such suggestion was ever made to me by General McDow ell. I myself sent him instructions from Wrrrenton Junction to push forward a cavalry reconnaissance toward Salem or White Plains.

Question by General McDowELL. Did General Sigel report to you from near the crossing of the Sudley Springs road with the road from Cen rs to Gainesville between 2 and 3 o’clock p. m. of 28th of

ugus

Answer. He did, by letter.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Were not General Sigel’s reports, as commander of the First Army Corps, made to you direct, and were not your orders for him sent to him direct from and after the afternoon of the 28th, when he reported to you from near the crossing of the Sudley Springs road and the Manassas and Gainesville roads and he received your order to mareh to Centreville ?

Answer. I understood General Sigel to be under the command of General McDowell on the afternoon of the 28th, and accordingly informed General McDowell that I had given these instructions to General Sigel on his application; but I did not consider ne ee euion to have continued after the corps became separated during the night of the .

Question by General MCDOWELL. Did General Sigel report to you that Jackson’s army was at Groveton when he sent you the note before referred to, or in any way give you to believe he thought he was in that direction? Will witness please produce the note of General Sigel ?

Answer. He made no report of that kind to me.

The witness produced the note referred to, which was read. It is from Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel to Major-General Pope, dated August 28— 2.30 p. m., and is appended to the proceedings of this day and marked A.

Question by General MODOWELL. About what time was it that Jackson left Manassas and what route did he take from that place ?

Answer. From information derived at Manassas Junction from prisoners, deserters, paroled prisoners of our own, and our own cavalry reconnaissances I was and am convinced, and in fact sure, as I can be of a thing I have not myself seen, that thelarger portion of Jackson’s forces left Manassas Junction between 3 o’clock and 9 or 10 0’clock on the morning of the 28th of.August and took the road to Centreville. Our cavalry came up to their rear guard at Bull Run Bridge, on that road, on the afternoon of the 28th, and Kearny’s division of Heintzelman’s corps followed their rear guard into Centreville and beyond. A large part of his force took the road from Centreville around by Sudley Springs, whilst another part followed the turnpike toward Gainesville from Warrenton, destroying the bridges over Bull Run and Cub Run late on the afternoon of the 28th, and in sigh tofthe foremost of ourcavalry. These facts came to me in so many different waysand through so many different sources that I was so well convinced of their truth that the whole movementsof the army as ordered on the night of the 28th were based upon them. Jackson himself in person, with a small escort, left Manassas Junction, after visiting the hospital there, about 11 o’clock on the morning of the 28th and took the road to Centreville. A large part of his cavalry force (I think the larger part from the accounts I received there) left Manassas Junction about the same time and went west of north toward the Warrenton turnpike. A small cavalry force that I had sent out came upon their rear within a mile or two of Manassas Junction.

Question by General MoDow&L. L. On the 29th of August, after Gen- eral Mc)Dowell’s corps came up the Sudley Springs road by New Market, did you send him any orders ? Answer. I did.

Question by General MCDOWELL. In the order of the President con stituting the Army of Virginia under your command was General Reynolds’ division a part of the Third Corps, to be commanded by General McDowell ?

Answer. It was not. General Reynolds’ division was the advance division of General Porter’s corps, coming from the direction of Fredericksbarg to re-enforce tho Army of Virginia. As it arrived some days before the rest of the corps, and just on tho eve of our movement toward Waterloo Bridge, it was temporarily assigned to duty with the corps of General McDowell.

Question by General McDOWELL. Was not the sending of General McDowell’s troops up the Warrenton road on the evening of the 29th in conformity to your orders ?

Question by General MCDOWELL. State what was General McDowell’s conduct under your command in the late campaign in Virginia.

Answer. Having by tho order of the President been placed in command of an army the commanders of the corps of which were my seniors in rank, my position was embarrassing, and likely to lead to unkind feelings between myself and the commanders of the army corps. I am gratified to be able here to bear testimony to the zeal and energy, the ability and the cordial sympathy, of General McDowell from the first to the last day of the campaign in Virginia. In my judgment he has merited and should receive the gratitude of his country and the applause of his countrymen.

The court was cleared.

The court was opened, and the court adjourned to meet to-morrow, January 14, 1863, at 11 o’clock a. m.

AUGUST 28, 1862—2.30 p. m. Major-General POPE, Commanding Army of Virginia:

GENERAL: I am at the road (3 miles from Manassas Junction) which leads to New Market and thence across Bull Run to Centreville.

I have with me all my corps except Milroy’s brigade, which has gone in advance toward the Junction. Shall I pursue this road? General Milroy can join us by a direct road from the Junction through New Market. I prefer this, because there is no water here; I can obtain it by going to Bull Run or even this side of New Market, and I understand that Manassas Junction is now crowded with our troops of other corps and divisions.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,