Pope, John (1822-1892), was a Union general during the American Civil War (1861-1865). He commanded the Union troops in their defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run (or Second Battle of Manassas), in Virginia.
Pope was born on March 16, 1822, in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1842, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He fought in the Mexican War (1846-1848) and later served in various roles in the West. In 1856, Pope was promoted to captain, his rank when the Civil War began.
In May 1861, Pope was promoted to general and put in command of Union troops in Missouri. In March 1862, he captured New Madrid, Missouri, and the Confederate defenses at Island Number 10 on the Mississippi River. In June 1862, President Abraham Lincoln selected Pope to command troops near Washington, D.C., as the head of the newly formed Army of Virginia.
Pope was a controversial general. He angered Southerners, including Confederate General Robert E. Lee, by authorizing harsh treatment of Southerners in Union-occupied territory. He also upset his own troops by issuing an address that praised the troops in the West and spoke unfavorably of the troops in the East.
In August 1862, Lee defeated Pope at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Pope blamed the defeat on subordinate officers, especially General Fitz-John Porter, for not following orders. He accused these officers of disobeying his orders because they were loyal to his predecessor, General George McClellan.
On September 2, McClellan replaced Pope as commander of the Union army. Pope spent most of the rest of the war fighting Indians as commander of the Department of the Northwest.
After the war, Pope remained in the U.S. Army. He spent much of the rest of his career in the West fighting Indians. In 1882, he was promoted to major general of the regular army. In 1886, Pope retired from the army. On Sept. 23, 1892, he died in Sandusky, Ohio.
