The General George Crook House Museum is located in Fort Omaha . The Fort is located in the Miller Park neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska , United States. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and is a contributing property to the Fort Omaha Historic District .
91-590: In 1878, General George Crook moved headquarters for the Department of the Platte from downtown Omaha to Fort Omaha. The General Crook home was built in 1879 to be the residence of the commander. Constructed in an Italianate design, the building consists of two stories with a grand garden surrounding it. Crowned by hipped roofs, the building is asymmetrical in plan and is in good condition. A long one-story porch projects from its eastern facade. General George Crook
182-545: A Confederate victory. Lee determined that McClellan's army on the Virginia Peninsula was no longer a threat to Richmond and sent most of the rest of his army, Maj. Gen. James Longstreet 's command, following Jackson. Jackson conducted a wide-ranging maneuver around Pope's right flank, seizing the large supply depot in Pope's rear, at Manassas Junction , placing his force between Pope and Washington, D.C. Moving to
273-607: A brisk rearguard action against Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker 's division at Kettle Run, resulting in about 600 casualties. Ewell held back Union forces until dark. During the night of August 27 – August 28, Jackson marched his divisions north to the First Bull Run (Manassas) battlefield, where he took position behind an unfinished railroad grade. Pope did not know where Jackson had gone. After skirmishing near Chapman's Mill in Thoroughfare Gap, Ricketts's Union division
364-660: A commission as Colonel of the 36th Ohio Infantry and led it on duty in western Virginia. He was in command of the 3rd Brigade in the District of the Kanawha where he was wounded in a small fight at Lewisburg . Crook returned to command his regiment during the Northern Virginia Campaign . He and his regiment were part of John Pope's headquarters escort at the Second Battle of Bull Run . After
455-756: A corps in that unit. Although Crook's force kept its official designation as the Army of West Virginia , it was often referred to as the VIII Corps. The official VIII Corps of the Union Army was led by Lew Wallace during this time and its troops were on duty in Maryland and Northern Virginia. Crook led his corps in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 at the battles of Opequon (Third Winchester), Fisher's Hill , and Cedar Creek . On October 21, 1864, he
546-490: A force of about 6,500 men organized into three brigades. The West Virginia countryside was beautiful that spring, but the mountainous terrain made the march a difficult undertaking. The way was narrow and steep, and spring rains slowed the march as tramping feet churned the roads into mud. In places, Crook's engineers had to build bridges across wash-outs before the army could advance. The column reached Fayette on May 2, and then passed through Raleigh Court House and Princeton. On
637-527: A position near Cedar Mountain, from whence he could launch cavalry raids on Gordonsville. Jackson advanced to Culpeper Court House on August 7, hoping to attack one of Pope's corps before the rest of the army could be concentrated. On August 9, Nathaniel Banks's corps attacked Jackson at Cedar Mountain, gaining an early advantage. Confederate Brig. Gen. Charles S. Winder was killed and his division mauled. A Confederate counterattack led by Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill drove Banks back across Cedar Creek. Jackson's advance
728-428: A quick march. Each man was to carry only 1 blanket, 100 rounds of ammunition, and 4 days' rations. The wagon train would be left at Goose Creek, and the infantry would be mounted on the pack mules. On 17 June, Crook's column set out at 0600, marching northward along the south fork of Rosebud Creek. The Crow and Shoshone scouts were particularly apprehensive. Although the column had not yet encountered any sign of Indians,
819-474: A stalemate. Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated the bulk of his army against him. On August 29, Pope launched a series of assaults against Jackson's position along the unfinished railroad grade. The attacks were repulsed with heavy casualties on both sides. At noon, Longstreet arrived on the field from Thoroughfare Gap and took position on Jackson's right flank. On August 30, Pope renewed his attacks, seemingly unaware that Longstreet
910-543: A strong foundation for his abilities to understand, navigate and use Civil War landscapes to Union advantage. Crook was promoted to first lieutenant in 1856, and to captain in 1860. He was ordered east and in 1861, with the beginning of the American Civil War, was made colonel of the 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry . He married Mary Tapscott Dailey of Virginia. When the Civil War broke out, Crook accepted
1001-466: A very defensible position near the battleground of the 1861 First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas), Jackson successfully repulsed Union assaults on August 29 as Lee and Longstreet's command arrived on the battlefield. On August 30, Pope attacked again, but was surprised to be caught between attacks by Longstreet and Jackson, and was forced to withdraw with heavy losses. The campaign concluded with another flanking maneuver by Jackson, which Pope engaged at
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#17327875981941092-692: Is open to the public for tours and for special events. George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars . He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the 1886 campaign that led to the defeat of the Apache leader Geronimo . As a result, the Apache nicknamed Crook Nantan Lupan , which means "Grey Wolf." Crook
1183-710: The Battle of Antietam . He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on September 7, 1862. During these early battles he developed a lifelong friendship with one of his subordinates, Col. Rutherford B. Hayes of the 23rd Ohio Infantry . Following Antietam, General Crook assumed command of the Kanawha Division. His division was detached from the IX Corps for duty in the Department of the Ohio. Before long Crook
1274-491: The Battle of Chantilly on September 1. Lee's maneuvering of the Army of Northern Virginia against Pope is considered a military masterpiece. Historian John J. Hennessy wrote that "Lee may have fought cleverer battles, but this was his greatest campaign." I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies, from an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary, and to beat him to when he
1365-807: The Military Division of the Missouri in 1888. Northern Virginia Campaign The Northern Virginia Campaign , also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign , was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War . Confederate General Robert E. Lee followed up his successes of the Seven Days Battles in
1456-680: The Northern Paiute used the fall, winter and spring seasons to gather food, so he adopted the tactic recommended by a predecessor George B. Currey to attack during the winter. Crook had his cavalry approach the Paiute on foot in attack at their winter camp. As the soldiers drew them in, Crook had them remount; they defeated the Paiute and recovered some stolen livestock. Crook used Indian scouts as troops as well as to spot enemy encampments. While campaigning in Eastern Oregon during
1547-832: The Pacific Northwest . In 1867, he was appointed head of the Department of the Columbia . Crook successfully campaigned against the Snake Indians in the 1864–68 Snake War , where he won nationwide recognition. Crook had fought Indians in Oregon before the Civil War. He was assigned to the Pacific Northwest to use new tactics in this war, which had been waged for several years. Crook arrived in Boise to take command on December 11, 1866. The general noticed that
1638-548: The Peninsula campaign by moving north toward Washington, D.C. , and defeating Maj. Gen. John Pope and his Army of Virginia . Concerned that Pope's army would combine forces with Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan 's Army of the Potomac and overwhelm him, Lee sent Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson north to intercept Pope's advance toward Gordonsville . The two forces initially clashed at Cedar Mountain on August 9,
1729-764: The Pitt River Expedition of 1857 and, in one of several engagements, was severely wounded by an Indian arrow. He established a fort in Northeast California that was later named in his honor; and later, Fort Ter-Waw in what is now Klamath Glen, California . During his years of service in California and Oregon, Crook extended his prowess in hunting and wilderness skills, often accompanying and learning from Indians whose languages he learned. These wilderness skills led one of his aides to liken him to Daniel Boone , and more importantly, provided
1820-483: The Second Battle of Kernstown . Nevertheless, he was appointed as a replacement for David Hunter in command of the Department of West Virginia the following day. However Crook did not assume command until August 9. Along with the title of his department Crook added "Army of West Virginia." Crook's army was soon absorbed into Philip H. Sheridan 's Army of the Shenandoah and for all practical purposes functioned as
1911-512: The Sierra Madre Mountains about 86 miles (138 km) from Fort Bowie . During the three days of negotiations, photographer C. S. Fly took about 15 exposures of the Apache on 8 by 10 inches (200 by 250 mm) glass negatives. One of the pictures of Geronimo with two of his sons standing alongside was made at Geronimo's request. Fly's images are the only existing photographs of Geronimo's surrender. His photos of Geronimo and
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#17327875981942002-565: The VI Corps under Brig. Gen. George W. Taylor . Lee's new plan in the face of all these additional forces outnumbering him was to send Jackson and Stuart with half of the army on a flanking march to cut Pope's line of communication, the Orange & Alexandria Railroad . The Hotchkiss journal shows that Jackson, most likely, originally conceived the movement. In the journal entries for March 4 and 6 1863, General Stuart tells Hotchkiss that "Jackson
2093-426: The battle of Dinwiddie Court House . He later took a prominent role in the battles of Five Forks , Amelia Springs , Sayler's Creek and Appomattox Court House . At the end of the Civil War, George Crook received a brevet as major general in the regular army, but reverted to the permanent rank of major . Only days later, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel , serving with the 23rd Infantry on frontier duty in
2184-576: The Army's Department of the Northwest, where he fought the Dakota War of 1862 . Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan assumed command of all Union forces around Washington, and his Army of the Potomac absorbed the forces of the Army of Virginia , which was disbanded on September 12, 1862. With Pope no longer a threat and McClellan reorganizing his command, Lee turned his army north on September 4 to cross
2275-525: The Army, were imprisoned along with the hostile warriors. He sent numerous telegrams protesting their arrest to Washington. They, along with most of Geronimo's band, were forced to spend the next 26 years in captivity at the fort in Florida before they were finally released.) After years of campaigning in the Indian Wars , Crook won steady promotion back up the ranks to the permanent grade of Major General. President Grover Cleveland placed him in command of
2366-510: The Bighorn and Yellowstone Expedition at Fort Fetterman . Crook had gathered a strong force from his Department of the Platte. Leaving Fort Fetterman on 29 May, the 1,051-man column consisted of 15 companies from the 2d and 3d Cavalry, 5 companies from the 4th and 9th Infantry, 250 mules, and 106 wagons. On 14 June, the column was joined by 261 Shoshone and Crow allies. Based on intelligence reports, Crook ordered his entire force to prepare for
2457-525: The Confederate commander might not soon move against Crook with a vastly superior force. Having accomplished the major part of his mission, destruction of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad , Crook turned his men north and after another hard march, reached the Union base at Meadow Bluff, West Virginia. That July Crook assumed command of a small force called the Army of the Kanawha. Crook was defeated at
2548-514: The Elder on September 9, 1876. The well-stocked village was attacked and looted in the Battle of Slim Buttes . Crazy Horse led a counter-attack against Crook the next day, but was repulsed by Crook's superior numbers. In 1879, Crook spoke on behalf of the Ponca tribe and Native American rights during the trial of Standing Bear v. Crook . The federal judge affirmed that Standing Bear had some of
2639-608: The Fort. In 1905, the house was used as an officer's club and mess hall . In 1930, it was converted back to a post commander's residence, serving until the Fort was closed in 1973. The Crook House is the oldest structure built as a private residence in Omaha. The building was named a Nebraska State Historical Site in 1970. The Douglas County Historical Society restored the house in the 1980s, refurbishing it with period furniture and restoring its heirloom Victorian gardens. Today, it
2730-607: The General returned to his post. Historians debate whether Crook's pressing on could have prevented the killing of the five companies of the 7th Cavalry Regiment led by George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn . After the disaster at the Little Bighorn, the U.S. Congress authorized funds to reinforce the Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition. Determined to demonstrate the willingness and capability of
2821-550: The III Corps.) Pope had an additional, broader objective, encouraged by Abraham Lincoln. For the first time, the Union intended to pressure the civilian population of the Confederacy by bringing some of the hardships of war directly to them. Pope issued three general orders on the subject to his army. General Order No. 5 directed the army to "subsist upon the country," reimbursing farmers with vouchers that were payable after
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2912-509: The Kanawha Division, which was now officially designated the 3rd Division of the Department of West Virginia . To open the spring campaign of 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant ordered a Union advance on all fronts, minor as well as major. Grant sent for Brigadier General Crook, in winter quarters at Charleston, West Virginia , and ordered him to attack the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, Richmond 's primary link to Knoxville and
3003-578: The Manassas battlefield. Ricketts withdrew via Gainesville to Manassas Junction. The most significant battle of the campaign, Second Bull Run (Second Manassas), was fought August 28–30. In order to draw Pope's army into battle, Jackson ordered an attack on a Federal column that was passing across his front on the Warrenton Turnpike on August 28, alerting Pope to his position. The fighting at Brawner's Farm lasted several hours and resulted in
3094-775: The Paiute in the battle of Tearass Plain . Crook later defeated a mixed band of Paiute, Pit River , and Modoc at the Battle of Infernal Caverns in Fall River Mills, California . President Ulysses S. Grant next placed Crook in command of the Arizona Territory . Crook's use of Apache scouts during his Tonto Basin Campaign of the Yavapai War brought him much success in forcing the Yavapai and Tonto Apache onto reservations. Crook's victories during
3185-668: The Peninsula and to return to Northern Virginia to support Pope. McClellan protested and did not begin his redeployment until August 14. The Army of the Potomac returned to Washington except for a division of the IV Corps , which was left on the Virginia Peninsula. On July 29, Pope moved his headquarters from Washington to the field. He was informed by Halleck of the plan to link up with McClellan's army, but rather than waiting for this to occur, he moved some of his forces to
3276-603: The Peninsula. Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill 's command was also placed under Longstreet. Also joining was Brig. Gen. .Nathan G. "Shanks" Evans's independent South Carolina brigade. McLaws and Hill were left in Richmond under the command of Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith , and so Longstreet would take only five divisions north. Pope's mission was to fulfill a few objectives: protect Washington and the Shenandoah Valley , and draw Confederate forces away from McClellan by moving in
3367-604: The Rosebud was on. By 0830, the Sioux and Cheyenne had hotly engaged Crook's Indian allies on the high ground north of the main body. Heavily outnumbered, the Crow and Shoshone scouts fell back toward the camp, but their fighting withdrawal gave Crook time to deploy his forces. Rapidly firing soldiers drove off the attackers but used up much of the ammunition meant for use later in the campaign. Low on ammunition and with numerous wounded,
3458-683: The Stonewall Division (now commanded by Brig. Gen. Charles S. Winder ) and Maj. Gen. Richard Ewell 's division, plus the newly added command of Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill . Longstreet had seven divisions. His former command was divided into two parts led by Brig. Gens. Cadmus Wilcox and James L. Kemper . Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson got Huger's division, and Brig. Gen. John B. Hood was leading Whiting's Division due to William H.C. Whiting being on sick leave. Brig. Gens. David R. Jones and Lafayette McLaws continued in command of their divisions, both of which had been part of Magruder's Army of
3549-494: The U.S. Army to pursue and punish the Sioux, Crook took to the field. After briefly linking up with General Alfred Terry , military commander of the Dakota Territory , Crook embarked on what came to be known as the grueling and poorly provisioned Horsemeat March , upon which the soldiers were reduced to eating their horses and mules. A party dispatched to Deadwood for supplies came across the village of American Horse
3640-600: The Union Army's defeat at Second Bull Run, Crook and his regiment were attached to the Kanawha Division at the start of the Maryland Campaign . On September 12 Crook's brigade commander, Augustus Moor, was captured and Crook assumed command of the 2nd Brigade, Kanawha Division which had been attached to the IX Corps . Crook led his brigade at the Battle of South Mountain and near Burnside's Bridge at
3731-461: The Union army 688 casualties, while the rebels suffered 538 killed, wounded, and captured. Unopposed, Crook moved his command into Dublin, where he laid waste to the railroad and the military stores. He then sent a party eastward to tear up the tracks and burn the ties. The next morning the main body set out for their next objective, the New River bridge, a key point on the railroad, a few miles to
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3822-870: The Virginia Central. Lee had larger plans in mind. Since the Union Army was split between McClellan and Pope and they were widely separated, Lee saw an opportunity to destroy Pope before returning his attention to McClellan. On July 26, Lee met with cavalry commander and partisan fighter Capt. John S. Mosby , who had just been exchanged as a prisoner of war. Coming through the Hampton Roads area in Union custody, Mosby observed significant naval transport activity and deduced that Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside 's troops, who had fought in North Carolina , were being shipped to reinforce Pope. Wanting to take immediate action before those troops were in position,
3913-688: The Yavapai War included the Battle of Salt River Canyon , also known as the Skeleton Cave Massacre, and the Battle of Turret Peak . In 1873, Crook was appointed brigadier general in the regular army, a promotion that passed over and angered several full colonels next in line. From 1875 to 1882 and again from 1886 to 1888, Crook was head of the Department of the Platte , with headquarters at Fort Omaha in North Omaha, Nebraska . On 28 May 1876, Crook assumed direct command of
4004-733: The army struck the Orange & Alexandria Railroad at Bristoe Station and before daybreak August 27 marched to capture and destroy the massive Union supply depot at Manassas Junction. This surprise movement forced Pope into an abrupt retreat from his defensive line along the Rappahannock. On August 27, Jackson routed the New Jersey Brigade of the VI Corps near Bull Run Bridge, mortally wounding its commander George W. Taylor . Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell 's Confederate division fought
4095-497: The attention of both armies along the river. Heavy rains had swollen the river and Lee was unable to force a crossing. Pope considered an attack across the river to strike Lee's right flank, but he was also stymied by the high water. By this time, reinforcements from the Army of the Potomac were arriving from the Peninsula: Maj. Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman 's III Corps , Maj. Gen. Fitz-John Porter 's V Corps , and elements of
4186-407: The battlefield, where they soon met their compatriots retreating from Cloyd's Mountain. The reinforcements halted the rout, but Colonel Hayes, although ignorant of the strength of the force now before him, immediately ordered his men to "yell like devils" and rush the enemy. Within a few minutes General Crook arrived with the rest of the division, and the defenders broke and ran. Cloyd's Mountain cost
4277-437: The column, followed by the battalion of mule-borne foot soldiers, and a provisional company of civilian miners and packers brought up the rear. The Crow and Shoshone scouts remained alert while the soldiers rested. Several minutes later, the soldiers heard the sound of intermittent gunfire coming from the bluffs to the north. As the intensity of fire increased, a scout rushed into the camp shouting, "Lakota, Lakota!" The Battle of
4368-533: The direction of Gordonsville. Pope started on the latter by dispatching cavalry to break the Virginia Central Railroad connecting Gordonsville, Charlottesville , and Lynchburg . The cavalry under Hatch got off to a slow start and found that Stonewall Jackson had already occupied Gordonsville on July 19 with over 14,000 men. (After a subsequent second failure to cut the railroad on July 22, Pope removed Hatch from his cavalry command and reassigned him to command an infantry brigade in Brig. Gen. Rufus King's division of
4459-412: The east. The Confederates, now commanded by Colonel McCausland, waited on the east side of the New River to defend the bridge. Crook pulled up on the west bank, and a long, ineffective artillery duel ensued. Seeing that there was little danger from the rebel cannon, Crook ordered the bridge destroyed, and both sides watched in awe as the structure collapsed magnificently into the river. McCausland, without
4550-573: The fleeing enemy. General Crook was unable to provide leadership as the excitement and exertion had sent him into a faint. Colonel Hayes kept his head and organized a force of about 500 men from the soldiers milling about the site of their victory. With his improvised command, he set off, closely pressing the rebels. While the fight at Cloyd's Mountain was going on, a train pulled into the Dublin station and disgorged 500 fresh troops of General John Hunt Morgan 's cavalry, which had just diverted Averell away from Saltville. The fresh troops hastened towards
4641-509: The nature or objective of their mission, but everyone sensed that something important was brewing. "All things point to early action", the commander of the second brigade, Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes, noted in his diary. On April 29, 1864, the Kanawha Division marched out of Charleston and headed south. Crook sent a force under Brigadier General William W. Averell westward towards Saltville, then pushed on towards Dublin with nine infantry regiments, seven cavalry regiments, and 15 artillery pieces,
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#17327875981944732-498: The newly formed Army of Virginia. Pope had achieved some success in the Western Theater , and Lincoln sought a more aggressive general than McClellan. Pope did not endear himself to his subordinate commanders—all three selected as corps commanders technically outranked him—or to his junior officers, by his boastful orders that implied Eastern soldiers were inferior to their Western counterparts. Some of his enlisted men were encouraged by Pope's aggressive tone. The Union Army of Virginia
4823-601: The next day Lee committed Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill to join Jackson with 12,000 men, while distracting McClellan with artillery bombardments and diversionary movements. McClellan advanced a force from Harrison's Landing to Malvern Hill , and Lee moved south to meet the threat, but McClellan eventually withdrew his advance. Still convinced that he was heavily outnumbered, he sent messages to Washington that he would need at least 50,000 more men before he could attempt another attack on Richmond. On August 3, General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck directed McClellan to begin his final withdrawal from
4914-541: The night of May 8, the division camped at Shannon's Bridge, Virginia, 10 miles (16 km) north of Dublin. The Confederates at Dublin soon learned the enemy was approaching. Their commander, Colonel John McCausland , prepared to evacuate his 1100 men, but before transportation could arrive, a courier from Brigadier General Albert G. Jenkins informed McCausland that the two of them were ordered by General John C. Breckinridge to stop Crook's advance. The combined forces of Jenkins and McCausland amounted to 2,400 men. Jenkins,
5005-432: The night; their escape cost Crook his command. Nelson A. Miles replaced Crook in 1886 in command of the Arizona Territory and brought an end to the Apache Wars . He captured Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apache band, and detained the Chiricahua scouts, who had served the U.S. Army, transporting them all as prisoners-of-war to a prison in Florida . (Crook was reportedly furious that the scouts, who had faithfully served
5096-407: The officers had to dismount and descend on foot. Crook stationed himself with Hayes' brigade, which was to lead the assault. After a long, anxious wait, Hayes at last heard cannon fire off to his left and led his men at a slow double time out onto the meadow and into the rebels' musketry and artillery fire, which Crook called "galling". Their pace quickened as they neared the other side, but just before
5187-433: The one Lee inherited for the Seven Days Battles; in that campaign there had been eleven separate divisions, which led to breakdowns in communications and the inability of the army to execute Lee's battle plans properly. William H.C. Whiting , Theophilus Holmes , Benjamin Huger , and John B. Magruder were all reassigned elsewhere. The command structure was reorganized as follows: Jackson's wing comprised his old Valley Army;
5278-411: The other free Apaches, taken on March 25 and 26, are the only known photographs taken of an American Indian while still at war with the United States. Geronimo, camped on the Mexican side of the border, agreed to Crook's surrender terms. That night, a soldier who sold them whiskey said that his band would be murdered as soon as they crossed the border. Geronimo and 25 of his followers slipped away during
5369-412: The other side. Vicious hand-to-hand fighting erupted as the Yankees reached the crude rebel defenses. The Southerners gave way, tried to re-form, then broke and retreated up and over the hill towards Dublin. The Yankees rounded up rebel prisoners by the hundreds and seized General Jenkins, who had fallen wounded. At this point the discipline of the Union men wavered, and there was no organized pursuit of
5460-404: The plans for reinforcing Pope's army, which would eventually bring it to the strength of 130,000 men, more than twice the size of the Army of Northern Virginia. The two armies fought a series of minor actions August 22–25 along the Rappahannock River, including Waterloo Bridge, Lee Springs, Freeman's Ford, and Sulphur Springs, resulting in a few hundred casualties. Together, these skirmishes kept
5551-405: The railroad bridge at Somerville Ford and then move around Pope's left flank into the Federal rear, destroying supplies and blocking their possible avenues of retreat. Logistical difficulties and cavalry movement delays caused the plan to be abandoned. On August 20–21, Pope withdrew to the line of the Rappahannock River . He was aware of Lee's plan because a Union cavalry raid captured a copy of
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#17327875981945642-437: The resources to oppose the Yankees any further, withdrew his battered command to the east. General Crook, supplies running low in a country not suited for major foraging, now entertained second thoughts about his orders to push on east and join Sigel in the Shenandoah Valley. At Dublin he had intercepted an unconfirmed report that General Robert E. Lee had beaten Grant badly in the Wilderness , which led him to consider whether
5733-475: The retreating Union army. Making a wide flanking march, Jackson hoped to cut off the Union retreat from Bull Run. On September 1, beyond Chantilly Plantation on the Little River Turnpike near Ox Hill, Jackson sent his divisions against two Union divisions under Maj. Gens. Philip Kearny and Isaac Stevens . Confederate attacks were stopped by fierce fighting during a severe thunderstorm. Union generals Stevens and Kearny were both killed. Recognizing that his army
5824-504: The rights of U.S. citizens. That same year his home at Fort Omaha, now called the General Crook House and considered part of North Omaha , was completed. Crook was made head of the Department of Arizona and successfully forced some members of the Apache to surrender, but Geronimo continually evaded capture. As a mark of respect, the Apache nicknamed Crook Nantan Lupan , which means "Chief Wolf". In March, 1886, Crook received word that Geronimo would meet him in Cañon de los Embudos, in
5915-408: The scouts seemed to sense their presence. The soldiers, particularly the mule-riding infantry, seemed fatigued from the early start and the previous day's 35-mile (56 km) march. Accordingly, Crook stopped to rest his men and animals at 0800. Although he was deep in hostile territory, Crook made no special dispositions for defense. His troops halted in their marching order. The Cavalry battalions led
6006-427: The senior officer, took command. Breaking camp on the morning of May 9, Crook moved his men south to the top of a spur of Cloyd's Mountain. Before the Union troops lay a precipitous, densely wooded slope with a meadow about 400 yards wide at the bottom. On the other side of the meadow, the land rose in another spur of the mountain, and there Jenkins' rebels waited behind hastily erected fortifications. Crook dispatched
6097-454: The southwest, and to destroy the Confederate salt works at Saltville, Virginia . The 35-year-old Crook reported to army headquarters where the commanding general explained the mission in person. Grant instructed Crook to march his force, the Kanawha Division , against the railroad at Dublin, Virginia , 140 miles (230 km) south of Charleston. At Dublin he would put the railroad out of business and destroy Confederate military property. He
6188-413: The third brigade under Colonel Carr B. White to work its way through the woods and deliver a flank attack on the rebel right. At 11 am, he sent Hayes' first brigade and Colonel Horatio G. Sickel 's second brigade down the slope to the edge of the meadow, where they were to launch a frontal assault on the Confederates as soon as they heard the sound of White's guns. The slope before them was so steep that
6279-421: The three infantry corps, a lack of centralized control that had negative effects in the campaign. Parts of three corps ( III , V , and VI ) of McClellan's Army of the Potomac and Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside 's IX Corps (commanded by Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno ), eventually joined Pope for combat operations, raising his strength to 77,000. On the Confederate side, General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia
6370-432: The up-slope they came to a waist-deep creek. The barrier caused little delay and the Yankee infantry stormed up the hill and engaged the rebel defenders at close range. The only man to have trouble with the creek was General Crook. Dismounted, he still wore his high riding boots, and as he stepped into the stream, the boots filled with water and bogged him down. Nearby soldiers grabbed their commander's arms and hauled him to
6461-527: The war only to "loyal citizens of the United States." To some soldiers, this became an informal license to pillage and steal. General Orders 7 and 11 dealt with persistent problems of Confederate guerrillas operating in the Union rear. Pope ordered that any house from which gunfire was aimed at Union troops be burned and the occupants treated as prisoners of war . Union officers were directed to "arrest all disloyal male citizens within their lines or within their reach." These orders were substantially different from
6552-556: The war philosophy of Pope's colleague McClellan, which undoubtedly caused some of the animosity between the two men during the campaign. Confederate authorities were outraged and Robert E. Lee labeled Pope a "miscreant" and added that he "ought to be suppressed." Based on his experiences in the Seven Days, Lee concluded that McClellan would not attack, and he could thus move most of his army away from Richmond. This allowed him to relocate Jackson to Gordonsville to block Pope and protect
6643-508: The war, and Jackson executed it flawlessly." Longstreet's attack on August 30, "timely, powerful, and swift, would come as close to destroying a Union army as any ever would." Pope, outmaneuvered by Lee, was virtually besieged in Washington. If it were not for his close political and personal ties to President Lincoln, his military career might have been completely ruined. Instead, he was transferred to Milwaukee, Wisconsin , and command of
6734-447: The winter of 1867, Crook's scouts located a Paiute village near the eastern edge of Steens Mountain . After covering all the escape routes, Crook ordered the charge on the village while intending to view the raid from afar, but his horse got spooked and galloped ahead of Crook's forces toward the village. Caught in the crossfire, Crook's horse carried the general through the village without being wounded. The army caused heavy casualties for
6825-435: The written order. Stuart was almost captured during this raid; his cloak and plumed hat did not escape, however, and Stuart retaliated on August 22 with a raid on Pope's headquarters at Catlett's Station, capturing the Union commander's dress coat. Stuart's raid demonstrated that the Union right flank was vulnerable to a turning movement, although river flooding brought on by heavy rains would make this difficult. It also revealed
6916-481: Was a triumph for Lee and his two principal subordinates. Military historian John J. Hennessy described it as Lee's greatest campaign, the "happiest marriage of strategy and tactics he would ever attain." He balanced audacious actions with proper caution and chose his subordinates' roles to best effect. Jackson's flank march—54 miles in 36 hours into the rear of the Union Army—was "the boldest maneuver of its kind during
7007-570: Was assigned to command an infantry brigade in the Army of the Cumberland . This brigade became the 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, XIV Corps , which he led at the Battle of Hoover's Gap . In July he assumed command of the 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps in the Army of the Cumberland. He fought at the battle of Chickamauga and was in pursuit of Joseph Wheeler during the Chattanooga Campaign . In February 1864, Crook returned to command
7098-608: Was born to Thomas and Elizabeth Matthews Crook on a farm near Taylorsville, Ohio . Nominated to the United States Military Academy by Congressman Robert Schenck , he graduated in 1852, ranking near the bottom of his class. He was assigned to the 4th U.S. infantry as brevet second lieutenant, serving in California, 1852–61. He served in Oregon and northern California , alternately protecting or fighting against several Native American tribes. He commanded
7189-531: Was certain that McClellan was leaving the Peninsula. Lee arrived at Gordonsville to take command on August 15. He massed the Army of Northern Virginia south of Clark's Mountain and planned a turning movement to defeat Pope before McClellan's army could arrive to reinforce it. His plan was to send his cavalry under Stuart, followed by his entire army, north to the Rapidan River on August 18, screened from view by Clark's Mountain. Stuart would cross and destroy
7280-671: Was constituted on June 26, from existing departments operating around Virginia, most of which had recently been outmaneuvered in Jackson's Valley campaign : Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont 's Mountain Department, Maj. Gen Irvin McDowell 's Department of the Rappahannock, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks 's Department of the Shenandoah, Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis 's brigade from the Military District of Washington, and Brig. Gen Jacob D. Cox 's division from western Virginia. The new army
7371-418: Was divided into three corps of 51,000 men, under Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel ( I Corps ), replacing Frémont, who refused to serve under Pope (his junior in rank) and resigned his command; Banks ( II Corps ); and McDowell ( III Corps ). Sturgis's Washington troops constituted the Army reserve. Cavalry brigades under Col. John Beardsley and Brig. Gens. John P. Hatch and George D. Bayard were attached directly to
7462-435: Was entitled to all the credit" for the movement and that Lee thought the proposed movement "very hazardous" and "reluctantly consented" to the movement. Pope would be forced to retreat and could be defeated while moving and vulnerable. Jackson departed on August 25 and reached Salem (present-day Marshall ) that night. On the evening of August 26, after passing around Pope's right flank via Thoroughfare Gap, Jackson's wing of
7553-476: Was flanked on August 28 by a Confederate column passing through Hopewell Gap several miles to the north and by troops securing the high ground at Thoroughfare Gap. Ricketts retired, and Longstreet's wing of the army marched through the gap to join Jackson. This seemingly inconsequential action virtually ensured Pope's defeat during the battles of August 29–30 because it allowed the two wings of Lee's army to unite on
7644-486: Was found; whose policy has been to attack and not defense.... Let us look before us, and not behind. Success and glory are in the advance; disaster and shame lurk in the rear. — John Pope, order to the "Officers and Soldiers of the Army of Virginia", July 14 After the collapse of McClellan's Peninsula campaign in the Seven Days Battles of June, President Abraham Lincoln appointed John Pope to command
7735-470: Was on the field. When massed Confederate artillery devastated a Union assault by Porter's corps, Longstreet's wing of 28,000 men counterattacked in the largest simultaneous mass assault of the war. The Union left flank was crushed and the army driven back to Bull Run. Only an effective Union rearguard action prevented a replay of the First Bull Run disaster. Pope's retreat to Centreville was precipitous, nonetheless. The next day, Lee ordered his army to pursue
7826-422: Was organized into two "wings" or "commands" (the designation of these units as "corps" would not be authorized under Confederate law until November 1862) of about 55,000 men. The "right wing" was commanded by Maj. Gen. James Longstreet, the left by Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson. The Cavalry Division under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart was attached to Jackson's wing. The Confederate organization was considerably simpler than
7917-510: Was promoted to major general of volunteers. In February 1865 General Crook was captured by Confederate raiders at Cumberland, Maryland , and held as a prisoner of war in Richmond until exchanged a month later. He very briefly returned to command the Department of West Virginia until he took command of a cavalry division in the Army of the Potomac during the Appomattox Campaign . Crook first went into action with his division at
8008-563: Was still in danger at Fairfax Courthouse , Pope ordered the retreat to continue to Washington. The northern Virginia campaign had been expensive for both sides, although Lee's smaller army spent its resources more carefully. Union casualties were 16,054 (1,724 killed, 8,372 wounded, 5,958 missing/captured) out of about 75,000 engaged, roughly comparable to the losses two months earlier in the Seven Days Battles; Confederate losses were 9,197 (1,481 killed, 7,627 wounded, 89 missing/captured) of 48,500. Edward Porter Alexander wrote: The campaign
8099-426: Was stopped, however, by the Union division of Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts . By now Jackson had learned that Pope's corps were all together, foiling his plan of defeating each in separate actions. He remained in position until August 12, then withdrew to Gordonsville. On August 13, Lee sent Longstreet to reinforce Jackson, and on the following day Lee sent all of his remaining forces (except for two brigades) after he
8190-400: Was the only commander to occupy the home, as the department was disbanded after his tenure. In November, 1879, Crook and his wife entertained General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant at the home. In September 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes stayed there while he was reviewing the troops at the Fort. After Crook left Fort Omaha, the house served as a home to each of the subsequent commanders of
8281-403: Was then to destroy the railroad bridge over New River , a few miles to the east. When these actions were accomplished, along with the destruction of the salt works, Crook was to march east and join forces with Major General Franz Sigel , who meanwhile was to be driving south up the Shenandoah Valley . After long dreary months of garrison duty, the men were ready for action. Crook did not reveal
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