John Pope (general)

• 1. Louisville Roots And West Point

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  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.

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• 2. Mississippi Campaigns And Island No

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  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.

• 3. The Second Battle Of Bull Run

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  Pope brought an attitude of self-assurance offensive to eastern soldiers under his command. An astonishing message issued the 14th of July 1862 included public denigration of their records compared to his Western command. Despite receiving units from McClellan's Army of the Potomac swelling numbers to 70,000 men, Pope's aggressiveness exceeded strategic capabilities. Lee sensed indecision and split his smaller army of 55,000 men. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson led 24,000 men as a diversion toward Cedar Mountain. Jackson defeated Pope's subordinate Nathaniel Banks there. As Lee advanced with the remainder of his army, Jackson swung northward. He captured Pope's main supply base at Manassas Station leaving the Union general confused. Confused and unable to locate the main Confederate force, Pope walked into a trap in the Second Battle of Bull Run. His men withstood a combined attack by Jackson and Lee on the 29th of August 1862. On the following day Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter swung to attack Jackson per reluctant orders. This exposed the whole Union army's flank to danger. James Longstreet launched a surprise flanking attack that routed the Union Army. The sound defeat forced a retreat back toward Washington. Pope compounded unpopularity by blaming Porter for disobedience during the battle. Brigadier General Alpheus S. Williams held the general in particularly low esteem after serving briefly under him.

• 4. Dakota War And Indian Campaigns

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  Pope was relieved of command on the 12th of September 1862. His army merged into the Army of the Potomac under McClellan. He spent the remainder of the war in Minnesota dealing with the Dakota War of 1862. Months campaigning in the West paid career dividends for future assignments. He received command of the Military Division of the Missouri on the 30th of January 1865. A brevet promotion to major general followed on the 13th of March 1865 for service at Island No. 10. In April 1867 Pope became governor of the Reconstruction Third Military District. Headquarters were established in Atlanta where he issued orders allowing African Americans to serve on juries. He ordered Mayor James Williams to remain in office another year while postponing elections. City advertising appeared only in newspapers favoring Reconstruction efforts. President Andrew Johnson removed him from command the 28th of December 1867 replacing him with George G. Meade. Pope returned to the West as commander of the Department of the Missouri during Grant's presidency. That command held through 1883 and represented the nation's second-largest geographical area. He served with distinction in Apache Wars including the Red River War. Southern Plains tribes relocated to reservations in Oklahoma under his direction. General Pope made political enemies when recommending military administration over the corrupt Indian Bureau.

• 5. Reconstruction Governance And Atlanta Orders

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  Pope issued specific directives regarding African American rights while governing Atlanta. His orders allowed Black citizens to serve on juries for the first time in that region. He mandated Mayor James Williams stay in office for an additional year beyond normal terms. Elections were postponed indefinitely to maintain federal control over local governance. City advertising was banned entirely from newspapers not supporting Reconstruction policies. These actions generated significant controversy among white Southerners and some Northern politicians. The National Tribune serialized his memoirs between February 1887 and March 1891 later documenting these events. Pope authored The Campaign of Virginia published in Washington in 1865 explaining his perspective on the battles. His tenure ended abruptly when President Johnson replaced him with George G. Meade on the 28th of December 1867. This removal marked a turning point away from Reconstruction governance toward western frontier duties. The Department of the Lakes based in Detroit followed as his next assignment from the 13th of January 1868 until the 30th of April 1870.

• 6. Porter Court Martial And Final Years

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  A late-convened Board of Inquiry called by President Rutherford B. Hayes examined Fitz John Porter's conviction in 1879. Maj. Gen. John Schofield led this investigation as Pope's immediate predecessor in Missouri. Evidence from former Confederate commanders concluded Porter had been unfairly convicted of cowardice at Bull Run. The report characterized Pope as reckless and dangerously uninformed about battle events. It criticized General Irvin McDowell whom Pope detested while crediting Porter's disobedience with saving the Union army. Pope was promoted to major general in the Regular Army in 1882 after years of controversy. He received command of the Military Division of the Pacific in 1883 serving until retirement. A board inquiry concluded that Major General Fitz John Porter had been unfairly convicted of cowardice and disobedience. The Schofield report used evidence of former Confederate commanders concluding Pope bore most responsibility for the loss. His wife Clara died two years before he retired on the 16th of March 1886. General Pope died the 23rd of September 1892 at the Ohio Soldiers' Home near Sandusky, Ohio. He is buried beside his wife in Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.