— Ch. 1 · Louisville Roots And West Point —
John Pope (general).
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
John Pope entered the world on the 16th of March 1822, in Louisville, Kentucky. His father Nathaniel Pope served as a prominent Federal judge in the early Illinois Territory. Abraham Lincoln counted himself among his father's friends during those formative years. The young man graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842. He finished seventeenth in a class of fifty-six cadets that year. A brevet second lieutenant commission followed immediately within the Corps of Topographical Engineers. This engineering track would define his early career before the Civil War erupted. He spent time surveying Florida and then helped map the northeastern border between the United States and Canada. Zachary Taylor commanded him at the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican, American War. Pope fought again under Taylor at the Battle of Buena Vista shortly after. These campaigns earned him promotions to brevet first lieutenant and captain respectively. After the war ended he worked as a surveyor in Minnesota. In 1850 he demonstrated the navigability of the Red River for future trade routes. He served as chief engineer of the Department of New Mexico from 1851 until 1853. The remainder of the decade preceding the Civil War involved surveying a route for the Pacific Railroad.
Mississippi Campaigns And Island No
Pope assumed command of the District of North and Central Missouri in July 1861. His operational control extended along a portion of the Mississippi River. An uncomfortable relationship developed with Major General John C. Frémont who commanded the Department of the West. Politicking behind the scenes eventually led to Frémont's removal from command. Historian Allan Nevins later wrote that incompetence offered a better explanation than treachery though insubordination was evident. Pope forced Confederates under Sterling Price to retreat southward by December 18. A minor action at Blackwater, Missouri yielded 1,200 prisoners. This victory generated significant press interest despite its limited scale. Halleck appointed Pope to command the Army of the Mississippi on the 23rd of February 1862. He received orders to clear Confederate obstacles on the Mississippi River with 25,000 men. A surprise march on New Madrid, Missouri captured the town on March 14. He then orchestrated a campaign to capture Island No. 10. This strongly fortified post held 12,000 men and 58 guns. Pope's engineers cut a channel allowing his forces to bypass the island entirely. Captain Andrew H. Foote assisted with gunboats while landing men on the opposite shore. The island garrison surrendered on the 7th of April 1862. Union navigation of the Mississippi opened as far south as Memphis following this success.