The Second Battle of Bull Run was a pivotal battle in the US Civil War. Union General John Pope moved his troops south to protect Washington, but was unaware of the number of Confederate troops. The battle resulted in a Union defeat, with three times as many casualties as the first battle.
During the United States Civil War, the Union Army of the North and the Confederate Army of the South met for the second time at Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia. The Second Battle of Bull Run took place August 28-30, 1862, and was a pivotal battle in a long-running offensive conducted by Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army.
The Second Battle of Bull Run was preceded by strategic moves by the Union Army. Union Major General John Pope moved his troops south to Gordonsville to protect both Washington and the Shenandoah Valley, as well as to draw Confederate troops away from another battle further out, in which the Union Army was badly suffering . Since Confederate General Stonewall Jackson had captured Manassas, Pope’s line of communication with Washington was severed.
Pope was on the defensive, but was unaware of the number of Confederate soldiers General Lee had committed to the battle. Lee had withdrawn many of his troops from another battle he considered inconsequential and committed them to Manassas. With Pope unaware of the number of troops he was up against, the Second Battle of Bull Run was ready to begin.
Pope’s troops fought Stonewall Jackson’s troops at the start of the Second Battle of Bull Run, which resulted in something of a stalemate. But Pope was convinced he had the upper hand and launched an offensive against Jackson’s troops. These attacks were unsuccessful, and casualties on both sides quickly piled up.
What Pope did not know was that at another battlefield location, a Confederate force led by Confederate General James Longstreet had broken through a flank of the Union army to join the rest of Lee’s Confederate troops. Pope redoubled his offensive efforts, unaware that additional Confederate troops had joined the Second Battle of Bull Run.
When Pope sent the next wave of soldiers to attack, Confederate artillery nearly decimated the Union flank. Confederate General Longstreet counterattacked and the Union flank completely faltered. The Union Army was forced to retreat, ending the battle.
The Second Battle of Bull Run was a much larger battle than that of the First Battle of Bull Run, which took place on the same battlefield a year earlier. The Union army suffered more than three times as many casualties as in the first battle, and General Pope was relieved of his command shortly after his defeat.
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